Beginnings in Ashes
by Erica T
Summary: Five years after Ginny graduated from Hogwarts, the war ended, but some people are still reacting to it, or running from it. Nobody ever said life was easy. DG
1. Default Chapter

I need another fic like I need a hole in the head. But no inspiration is being forthcoming for any of my other unfinished fics at this time, so I need something new to keep me thinking. This probably will not be a long one.  
  
Disclaimer: Characters not mine. I'm just taking them out for a walk while they wait for their owner to use them again.  
  
Beginnings in Ashes  
  
Chapter 1  
  
It was raining again. It always seemed to be raining anymore, but then again this was England. Summer generally lasted about a week at a time, if you were lucky. But this rain was even more depressing, because it was November, and November rain is never very nice. It was cold, it was dark, and quite frankly, Ginny Weasley had had quite enough of this rain to last her the rest of her life. A cloth hit her in the face.  
  
"Oi. Break time is over babe. Back to work." Her co-worker, Mae said to her, before stubbing out her cigarette and getting up. Ginny did the same with hers, and then tied her apron back around her waist.  
  
"Hey, Mae?" She asked as she tied her hair back again.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you ever wonder what you would do if you get out of this place?"  
  
"Sure I do, babe. If I didn't I wouldn't be able to stay sane."  
  
"What would you do?"  
  
"Travel. I'd go places I'd never been before. Like, Germany, or Switzerland. And I go to an exotic beach somewhere and catch some sun. Maybe even catch me a man."  
  
"That sounds wonderful." Ginny sighed as they approached the doors to the main area of the restaurant.  
  
"What about you, babe? What do you think about doing?" Ginny smiled a little.  
  
"I think I'd just like to get back to where I used to be. I'd love to go home again."  
  
"Why don't you? Your family was a good sort, if I remember right."  
  
"You do remember right. But they don't look kindly on me anymore. I don't think getting pregnant at seventeen was quite what they had in mind for me." "We'll get what we want someday Gin-girl. I promise. C'mon, it's the lunch crowd." The two women ducked through the doors to the restaurant and were greeted by two other frazzled looking waitresses, who immediately ducked into the kitchen to escape.  
  
"Holy-free-holies. It's a huge crowd today. Good luck Mae!" Ginny called to the other woman as she headed over to her usual after break area.  
  
It was near the end of the lunch hour rush of customers that he came into the restaurant. Ginny didn't even notice him until Mae pointed out that there was a new customer sitting in booth number four. She groaned, as she'd been looking forward to getting off a tad early that day. She tore off the remnants of the last customer's order and went over to the table.  
  
"What can I get for you, sir? Today's specials are the Ham and Cheese Munch Melt, or if you're looking for something more substantial, we also have the Super sized Meatloaf." She said, readying her pencil and waiting for the man to order.  
  
"Weasley??" He exclaimed. She looked up for the first time, and found Draco Malfoy gawking at her. She stood up a little straighter out of some age old instinctive need to be proper in front of him, but other than that, all she felt was necessary was to raise her eyebrows.  
  
"Hello, Malfoy. Fancy seeing you here. What are you having?"  
  
"The Meatloaf, please, and a beer. Is that all you have to say to me?"  
  
"Meatloaf and a beer, do you want fries or onion rings? What do you want me to say to you?"  
  
"Onion rings. I don't know, something along the lines of, 'what the hell are you doing here', would be nice. Or even just a little hint of shock would work too."  
  
"Alright. Good heavens, Malfoy what the hell are you doing here, in London, where there are a lot of people that I know around much more often?" She said, sarcastically. She finished writing down his order and turned to walk away.  
  
"Very funny, Weasley."  
  
"Actually, it's not. But, you keep on telling yourself that and everything will be okay."  
  
He was still staring at her funny when she brought his food to him. She was used to this sort of thing, after all good genes and playing Quidditch in school had given her a really good figure to begin with, and having a baby had only rounded out that figure in all the right places. But it was unnerving to be getting it from someone she hadn't seen in six years.  
  
"Malfoy. You have your order, can you stop staring at me please." She told him.  
  
"What are you doing here, Weasley?"  
  
"I'm working, Malfoy. I would have thought even you could grasp that concept."  
  
"But why here? In a little diner almost cut off from the rest of the world, that cooks things the Muggle way? It doesn't fit. You're smart enough for a Ministry job."  
  
"Oh, gee, thanks. I can't tell you what that means too me."  
  
"Oh come on, spill. What are you doing here, of all places?"  
  
"If I tell you will you stop staring?"  
  
"Well, you do present a lovely view, but if you insist."  
  
"Fine. I'm here because this was the only place that would hire a social reject, like me. Sure the pay doesn't quite meet up to Malfoy expectations, but it's an honest job, and it keeps the rent paid, and it keeps me and Sam fed." She said, spinning on her heel and heading back toward the kitchen. He was the last customer in her area for the day, then she was finished and going home to Samantha. And hopefully, she would never have to talk to him again.  
  
"Hey, babe. What's the matter, you look a little stricken. Are you sick?"  
  
"No. I'm not sick. That customer is just somebody that I know from years past. Makes me remember things that are a little painful."  
  
"Oh. You want me to take over?"  
  
"No, it's okay. If I can make it through this, I stand a better chance of being able to face my family again."  
  
"Okay. If you're sure."  
  
"Thanks anyway."  
  
She returned to his table a little while later and started clearing away the dishes.  
  
"Will there be anything else, Malfoy?" She asked, trying to remain civil.  
  
"No, thank you. Who's Sam? Boyfriend? Cat?" He asked.  
  
"Not that it's any of your business, Malfoy, but Sam is my daughter. I'll bring your bill in a moment." He didn't say anything else to her after that, but she didn't mind. She figured that as soon as he walked out the doors she would never have to look at him again. She was wrong. 


	2. 2

She was surprised when he turned up the next day, at the same time.  
  
"Hey, Gin-girl? Isn't that the guy who was here yesterday?" Mae asked, pointing at the same table. Ginny gasped, then frowned.  
  
"What is he doing here?"  
  
"Want me to serve him?"  
  
"No, that's alright, I'll take care of him." She stomped over to the table and glared at him.  
  
"What do you want, Malfoy?"  
  
"Is that the way you talk to all of your customers? You must not get a lot of repeat business."  
  
"Fine. What would you like for lunch today, sir?" She asked, pasting a fake smile on her face and deliberately drawing out the last word.  
  
"What are the specials?"  
  
"Grilled cheese sandwiches, and Trout a la crème."  
  
"Grilled cheese please, can't stand fish." Trying to keep her smile intact, Ginny marked it down on her pad.  
  
"Would you like fries, or onion rings with that?"  
  
"Fries. I would also like a Root Beer, and, oh yes, a date." Ginny nearly dropped her pencil. The expression on her face vanished and she stared at him.  
  
"What did you just say?" She demanded.  
  
"I'd like a date. With you." She stood there for a moment in complete shock. The first thought that came to her mind was that someone was asking her for a date after five years of enforced celibacy, after all few men wanted to date a girl who had a baby in tow. After a half second of thinking, she remembered that this was Malfoy asking her for a date. Malfoy who'd made her life hell for six years. And then she got angry. It was the sound of his voice talking to her that brought her back to reality.  
  
"Weasley?"  
  
"Just who do you think you are!" She nearly shouted. She brought her voice down a little and continued to hiss at him. "You make my life a living hell, and then expect to waltz into it six years later just because I happen to look more appealing? Forget it, Malfoy! If I wanted to be publicly belittled, I'd go back to my family!" She finished on a yell, then she turned and ran into the kitchen. Mae caught her as she ran by.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, Gin-girl! Are you all right? What was that about?"  
  
"The bastard had the nerve to ask me out! After all he's said and done, he expected me to fall swooning at his feet just because he's 'Draco fucking Malfoy'!"  
  
"Ok, calm down. Do you want me to take over for you?"  
  
"I hate to ask you."  
  
"It's okay, honest. Is that his order?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Give it to me, and you go get your kid. Have a wonderful afternoon, and don't worry about anything else."  
  
"Thank you, Mae."  
  
"No problem. Go on, get out of here." Ginny nodded and left the restaurant as fast as she could go, hoping to avoid Malfoy at all costs. And it worked, for a little while. 


	3. 3

Ginny was having a crisis. She was trying to balance dinner dishes on her arms without breaking them, while keeping track of a wired five year old girl and have a phone conversation with Hermione at the same time.  
  
"Look, I know you say he's changed Herm, but that doesn't mean I'm going to immediately agree to anything he says. No, I don't really care what he's said about me lately. Hermione, you know I left all that behind when I had Sam. No. Hermione, you can tell Harry to bugger off for me, okay? I don't need anyone's help reconciling with my brother. As far as I'm concerned, all I ever did was tell the truth. You can see where that got me." She paused for a moment to put down the dishes and to listen to Hermione's tirade about how horrible the situation was. That was when the doorbell rang.  
  
"I get it!" She heard Samantha yell.  
  
"No you won't! Hermione, I've really got to go, Sam's going to try and open the door again." She hit the button and dropped the phone to the table and sprinted to the door. But Sam had already opened it.  
  
"Samantha Weasley! How many times do I have to tell you not to open the door to strange people!"  
  
"Auntie Herm-i-own-y lets me!"  
  
"Auntie Hermione lives in a safer place." She said as she scooped up the little girl and faced the visitor. Then her face blanched.  
  
"Did you mean what you said?" Malfoy asked from her doorframe.  
  
"What are you doing here!" She cried.  
  
"Looking for you. Did you mean what you said?"  
  
"What? About not going out with you, yes. I thought I made that perfectly clear."  
  
"Not about that. Did you mean what you said about your family?" He asked, looking hard at her face. Samantha had been looking back and forth between her mother and this new visitor, and had registered that her mum was uncomfortable with this man, so she hugged her tightly. Ginny, for her part had tensed as soon as she saw him, and hugged her daughter back just as tightly. She kissed the girl on her forehead then bent to set her on her feet.  
  
"Why don't you go and play for a little bit in your room. Mummy's got a visitor that needs some talking to."  
  
"Grown up talk?" Samantha asked.  
  
"Yes, grown up talk." Ginny answered. Samantha pulled a face that meant something more than 'gross', and ran down the little hall to her room.  
  
"Alright, Malfoy. You obviously don't seem to understand what storming away in a huff means, but if you really want answers, you better come in."  
  
He stepped through the doorway and she shut the door. Then she led the way into the small living room and gestured to a chair. After a few minutes she turned to him.  
  
"You fought in that war, just like the rest of us. Didn't you?" She started, staring at him.  
  
"Yes. I did. I don't remember you fighting though."  
  
"I was back at the castle. They decided that I would be better suited to look after the wounded. I don't know what made Dumbledore assume that I couldn't handle myself out there, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I had to hear about the people I cared about the most from others that didn't even know them as anything beyond names. And that was hard. And eventually, we all became somewhat numb to the subjects. You know how it is."  
  
"In order to do your job you have to remember that everyone else is doing theirs. Yeah. I know exactly how it is."  
  
"Well, anyway. When someone came and told us that Colin had been killed, I would have thought that I would have cried. And I didn't. I didn't feel anything when I heard that my best friend had died. That's when I knew I had to do something. And, when you're in that situation, you do anything to feel again."  
  
"So you turned to sex."  
  
"Yeah. That's the long and short of it. It meant nothing to me. It meant nothing to them. Just an outlet. I wasn't the only one, either. And I wasn't the only one who got careless. And I figured, well it's war. People are just going to have to understand that. But then the war ended. And suddenly, I didn't have an explanation. I didn't even know who the father might have been."  
  
"She looks like you." Ginny smiled at him for the first time.  
  
"She looks like an angel to me. There are many things I regret. But if changing them means I lose her, I wouldn't. I would not trade her for the world. But explaining to my parents what had happened was the hardest thing I've ever done."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"I sat them down, and said to them 'Mum, Dad. War does strange things to people. I got careless, and now I'm pregnant."  
  
"I'll bet that went over well."  
  
"They took it well actually. Probably grateful that I wasn't going to try and hide from them. But they were okay with it. I think Mum had actually started making baby plans as soon as I said it."  
  
"So why did you get kicked out?"  
  
"I never said I got kicked out. I left of my own accord. You see, my brothers had been listening in on their Extendable ears. When I went upstairs, I was met with a myriad of accusing stares. And a lot of 'How could you' and 'You aren't who we thought you were' questions. I left that night."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Yeah. Wow. Harry and Hermione, thankfully didn't say anything, and they've been really great. Hermione babysits for me sometimes. But I haven't been in contact with home, besides telling them she'd been born, for five years. And it's all my brothers' fault."  
  
"So now, you live in a little apartment here in Muggle London, and you work part time at a mostly wizard frequented Muggle restaurant."  
  
"Yes. I have made my own life, and I am proud of it. I have a beautiful little girl, and I have a job to keep us on our feet. Maybe it's not as glamourous as it could be, given my 'war-hero' status, but it's enough."  
  
"Don't you ever want more?" Ginny thought for a moment.  
  
"No. Sure it gets lonely, and I don't want to be lonely forever, but there's nothing else I need right now."  
  
"Not even.a little romance?" Malfoy suggested, hopefully. Ginny scowled at him.  
  
"No. Not even a little romance, you corny idiot. And even if I did, it would not be with you."  
  
"Oh come on. Just one date? I promise I'll leave you alone if it doesn't go well. Look, we had a civilized conversation without killing each other."  
  
"No, Malfoy! I do not want to date you!"  
  
"Why not? Not because of who I used to be, surely?"  
  
"No, because you are much too connected with my past. You were the bane of our existence. I'm trying to leave that past behind. I think it's time for you to go. Goodnight Malfoy." She got up and went to the door. After it was open she looked pointedly at the hallway outside. He stood up and left, but before he went, he spoke again.  
  
"You may be trying to leave the past behind, Ginny. But sometimes the past doesn't want to be left."  
  
And with that he sauntered away. 


	4. 4

Somebody has informed me that I need a disclaimer. I am aware of this fact, and there is a disclaimer in the first chapter that is supposed to cover the entire story. What I was trying to do was not interrupt whatever flow the story had with details that were not related to the story. Unfortunately, now that this has already happened, there's nothing I can do to about it, so from now on there's going to be a disclaimer somewhere in every chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
  
It had been a week since he'd turned up at her doorstep, and she still didn't know how he'd managed to get her home address. Mae insisted that she hadn't told him anything, and she believed her. He was a sneaky bastard, he'd probably pulled some strings somewhere to find her. What she didn't understand was why he'd kept after her. A better question was, why was she wondering why he'd stopped?  
  
"Earth to Gin-girl. Come in Gin-girl."  
  
"What?" She answered distractedly. Mae looked at her watch and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You've exceeded your five minute daydream break for the day, Gin-girl. What's bothering you?"  
  
"It's nothing, Mae. Really, it's nothing."  
  
"'Nothing' doesn't make you stare at a pancake flipper for ten minutes of your lunch break. Something's bugging you, and you won't solve it by not eating."  
  
"Fine, fine, if you insist." Ginny sighed. Mae adopted her best listening pose and then sat still. "You remember that guy who came in twice in a row last week and sat at the same table?"  
  
"The blonde one? Sure, no one could forget him. What about him?"  
  
"Well, you know he turned up at my apartment last week, but I haven't seen him since, and I was just wondering why I care that he hasn't come around again."  
  
"That doesn't sound like nothing, Gin-girl. That sounds like a serious conundrum to me. Have you come up with any reasons yourself, or do I have to give them too you?"  
  
"You better give them to me."  
  
"You haven't been on a date in five years. You did it purposely at first because you wanted to bring that girl of yours up right, on your own. Then when you wanted to date again, you found that most guys our age don't want a woman who's already got a child to look after. And, now that one seems to have appeared, you enjoyed attention, even if you really didn't like him. And you miss that now."  
  
"Am I really that shallow? To want only attention?"  
  
"No. That's not shallow. That's called being alone for five years. Come on kid, back to work."  
  
"Not me. I'm only doing the half shift today remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah, you lucky thing. Wish I was a war hero, then I could go to fancy parties too. But no, all I did was get shoved into a Beauxbatons basement until it was over. I hated being a year younger than the rest of you."  
  
"Tell the truth, you were scared stiff and relieved you didn't have to see what we saw." Ginny grinned at her, gathering her stuff.  
  
"Well, that too." Ginny laughed, but then sobered.  
  
"I don't want to go to this party. My brothers are going to be there. I can't face my brothers. Not yet."  
  
"Hey, buck up Gin-girl. You can do anything you put your mind to." Ginny smiled at the other woman and left the restaurant. She really was not looking forward too this Anniversary party. She'd been all set to decline the invitation, but Hermione insisted that she come with them. She'd been out of the loop for so long, she needed to get back into it, she'd said. She could still hear the conversation echoing through her head.  
  
"Ginny, you really need to get back out with the people you know. They miss you, they want to talk to you. I won't take no for an answer. So what if you've had a baby. I'm going to be having one."  
  
"Hermione, you're married, it's your first, and you're 23 years old. Not single and seventeen."  
  
"Nobody cares, Ginny. Not anymore. We're all caught up in fixing our own lives."  
  
She'd reached her building before she realized it, she was so caught up with her thoughts. After stopping at the neighbour's to pick up Sam, she continued up to her own apartment. She set Sam on the floor and started shuffling around, getting a quick dinner before the babysitter arrived.  
  
After their quick meal and halfway through Ginny's preparation for this honourary party, the telephone rang.  
  
"Hi, Miss Weasley?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"This is Diane Warren, I'm supposed to babysit Sam tonight."  
  
"Oh, yes. What can I do for you?"  
  
"I'm really sorry to have to tell you this, but I've got to cancel."  
  
"What did you say? This is a little short notice!"  
  
"I'm so sorry, but my brother's broken his leg in a bike accident and I'm the only one home who can drive." The girl said. Ginny sighed heavily.  
  
"Alright, ok. Tell your brother I hope he heals quickly, and thank you for letting me know. Bye now." She said, and hung up the phone. Then began the frantic telephoning of all known babysitters in the area, while at the same time trying to pull herself together.  
  
An hour later she was searching her phone book for anyone that was available to babysit.  
  
"Oh, this is hopeless. Hermione will kill me if I don't show up, and I can't take Sam with me." She was in the middle of more running around under the fascinated gaze of her daughter when the doorbell rang. "That better be a miracle." She growled throwing open the door.  
  
"Ah, is this a bad time?" Malfoy said, taking in her appearance.  
  
"Malfoy! Thank heavens. Are you doing anything for the next couple of hours? Good, I need you to babysit." She rattled, grabbing his arm and dragging him through the door.  
  
"What did you say?" He asked, startled.  
  
"You're not going to the party thing tonight, are you?" When he shook his head she continued. "Didn't think so, Harry was doing the invitations and I doubted he liked you well enough. I'm going, and my babysitter canceled an hour ago, and now I'm five minutes late, I need you to babysit for me. I'll pay you, really."  
  
"Calm down, Weasley. It happens that I was invited, I merely chose not to go. I hate parties. But I can't babysit."  
  
"You have too. I don't have anyone else. Please?" She begged, going to her bedroom and digging around for her earrings. He followed her.  
  
"I'm no good with kids."  
  
"It'll be easy, trust me. All you need to do is throw a movie in the video player and she'll sit quietly until bedtime. Which is eight thirty, by the way."  
  
"But."  
  
"Malfoy, please. You want to get into my good graces, you start by getting into my kid's good graces." She knew she was begging, and she knew she was throwing her best pleading look at him, and she also knew that she shouldn't be. But she didn't care. Right now, Hermione would be very upset with her if she didn't turn up, and Hermione upset was scary these days. It was working, she could tell.  
  
"Oh all right. But I won't let you pay me. If I babysit, you have to guarantee me, one date."  
  
"Done. I've got to go, Samantha, this is Draco, he's someone mummy knows from way back. Now I want you to be good for him." She said to Samantha, bending down for a hug, the girl nodded and gave her a kiss goodbye. Ginny stood straight again and looked him in the eye.  
  
"We'll be fine, Weasley. Get going, you'll be late."  
  
"This building better still be standing when I get back Malfoy. And if there's anything out of place, you can bet your head will roll." Then she disapparated. Draco stood there for a moment and considered what had happened in the last few minutes. He moved when he felt a tugging at his hand.  
  
"I always watch Beauty and the Beast when Diane comes. Are we going to watch Beauty and the Beast? It won't be the same if we don't. Diane always brings popcorn, did you bring popcorn? My mummy doesn't like me to eat a lot of popcorn but it's special when Diane comes."  
  
Oh no, what had he gotten himself into now? 


	5. 5

Ginny re-appeared outside of the Hogwarts' gate an instant later. The castle was lit up in celebration, and she could hear the sounds of a party in full swing even from here. It must be some party. She wandered up to open front doors and went in, looking around for someone she knew, preferably Hermione. That wasn't who she found first.  
  
"Ginny! Darling, it's been forever since I've seen you, how have you been? What have you been doing?" An extremely excited voice called out to her. She pasted her best waitress smile on her face and turned to face the voice.  
  
"Lavender, hi. I've been great, how about you?" She answered, mimicking the same tone.  
  
"Oh, I've been spectacular. I've started my own business, and it's doing very well."  
  
"Oh yes, what kind of business?"  
  
"I've got a shop that specializes in personal tarot cards and crystal balls. It's wonderful, and people really like it. What are you doing?"  
  
"Oh, not much really. I'm working at a restaurant that's doing brisk business, and taking care of my daughter, you know." She said casually, looking around for an escape. She finally spotted Hermione across the corridor, greeting people as they went into the Great Hall.  
  
"You have a baby? Oh that's great, you should have brought her. Who did you marry?" Lavender asked, almost snidely. Ginny looked at her pointedly.  
  
"She's not a baby, she's five. And who says I married anyone? Oh, I see Hermione, I have make sure she sees me, or there'll be hell to pay, nice to see you again, Lav." She said, making her escape to Hermione's side.  
  
"Ginny! You did come after all, I was beginning to think I'd have to yell at you. What kept you?"  
  
"Don't ask. You didn't tell me Lavender was going to be here."  
  
"I'm sorry. I meant to, because I know how much she bugs you, but I didn't have time, she RSVP'd this morning, and I couldn't get a hold of you. Did you tell her about Sam?"  
  
"Yes, sort of. Of course by now half the room will know that I got pregnant at 17. She can do the math well enough."  
  
"Well, at least you won't have to tell people yourself. Come with me, Harry's over here." Hermione grabbed her hand and led her over to the refreshment table. It figured.  
  
"Ginny! Nice to see you somewhere outside of your flat, for once." Harry exclaimed as they approached.  
  
"Now, Harry, she goes to work and she comes to our flat upon occasion, not as often as we'd like of course.." Hermione said, smiling up at him and kissing his cheek. Ginny smiled warmly at them.  
  
"Thank you, Hermione. It's nice to know someone's on my side." Harry grinned back at her.  
  
"So, Ginny, you do know that Ron's here somewhere, don't you? And the twins?" He said, seriously. Her smile dropped a little, but she put it back on quickly.  
  
"Yeah, I know. But I've got to talk to them sometime, don't I?" Hermione nodded and smiled encouragingly.  
  
"Ginny? Is that really you? Wow, I haven't seen you in ages!" She whirled around to find Neville Longbottom smiling at her. She grinned. She had really missed him.  
  
"Hi Neville! It has been a long time." She wandered away from Harry and Hermione, talking with Neville.  
  
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Hermione asked, worriedly. Harry looked up from his cucumber sandwich.  
  
"Oh, sure. She's always been a survivor. It's what Ron will do to us when he finds out we invited her after all that I'm worried about. You know how he is."  
  
"True. Are you sure we should be getting involved in this? She also told us to leave it alone." Hermione said, chewing on a finger nail.  
  
"If we leave it alone, they'll never talk again. They're like family to us, Hermione. And if they won't talk, we're a broken family." He said. Hermione nodded and picked up a cookie.  
  
"I just hope this wasn't a mistake."  
  
Several hours later, the celebration was in full swing. Speeches had been made, and a few moments reflection on those who had not made it through the war had passed. People who hadn't seen each other since the war were getting re-acquainted. Ginny was pleased to note that despite having now heard about her daughter, no one seemed to care that much. Maybe Hermione had been right. But she hadn't found her brothers yet. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Apparently, it was a good thing. She turned around to find Ron glaring at her. Even though he was still angry at her, it was good to see him again.  
  
"Hello, Ron. It's nice to see you." She said nervously.  
  
"Harry said you weren't coming. Otherwise you wouldn't be seeing me." He said.  
  
"Ron...I.."  
  
"Save it, Ginny. You didn't have to leave like that. Do you know what you did to Mum?" He said. Ginny's eyes narrowed, and she got angry. Who was he to tell her this?  
  
"I left because you made it perfectly clear that you didn't want me there. What was it you called me? 'A common whore, who made a mistake', wasn't it? Mum and Dad were fine with what had happened, and if you hadn't been so pig headed about it, I would have stayed. But after what you said, I couldn't stay. Not when my favourite brother had turned his back on me!" She cried, before turning away and running out the nearest door. The people around them had stopped, interest piqued by this confrontation, and now they were all glaring at Ron. Harry came running up to him, Hermione puffing along at a slightly slower pace behind him.  
  
"What did you do that for, Ron?" Harry cried.  
  
"Do what? I thought you said she wasn't coming!"  
  
"I had to make her come, Ron." Hermione exclaimed. "She didn't want to be anywhere near this place tonight. And now she'll never come out of that apartment again. Way to go!"  
  
"Why is this my fault?"  
  
"She was only just getting up enough courage to try and smooth things over with you. And now you've gone and shoved her away again." Hermione sighed. "It's going to take ages to get her to come out of that shell again."  
  
"Look, she left in the first place..."  
  
"She left because she couldn't stand to be around you after what you loudly proclaimed you thought of her. Your opinion meant everything to her. Congratulations Ron, you've probably just broken the family beyond repair." Harry said, before turning and stalking away. Hermione sighed again and raised an eyebrow. Then she followed Harry.  
  
AN: I have to apologize too. When I was writing that paragraph I was tired, and not in the best of moods. So it came out a bit more acidic than I wanted it too. So now that this is all cleared up, I can try and keep going the way I had intended too in the first place..hopefully. I'm not sure if this 'flow' idea is working the way I thought it would. 


	6. 6

Ginny reappeared inside her apartment a few moments after she reached the gate of Hogwarts. There had been no way she was going to stick around that party anymore. Glancing around, she noticed that few lights were on. It was past eleven, so Sam had to be asleep. What light there was, was coming from the living room. Sniffling just a little, she made her way there. The television was on, and she could see the back of Malfoy's head.  
  
"I'm back, Malfoy. How did it go?"  
  
"Ssh. You'll wake her." Puzzled, she moved around to the front of the couch to see what he was talking about. She found Samantha curled up into his side, with a blanket wrapped up to her chin. She was fast asleep. Ginny smiled involuntarily.  
  
"How long have you sat here like this?"  
  
"Since her movie ended. I didn't have the heart to wake her."  
  
"You could have just moved her. She's like me, when she's asleep, she sleeps like the dead." She said, still smiling as she gently lifted Sam from her spot.  
  
"Well, see, I didn't know that." He smiled, following her to Sam's bedroom. She tucked her in and kissed her forehead. Then she stood up to leave the room. Malfoy was looking at her oddly, but then he'd been looking at her oddly since that day in the restaurant.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked when they were in the hallway. She sighed and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I'm about as alright as you can get after just experiencing the second worst fight in your life."  
  
"Second worst?"  
  
"Yeah, the worst was the first fight I had with my brother on this subject."  
  
"Ah, so he was there, huh."  
  
"Yep. He was there. And nothing ever changes."  
  
"See, that's why I didn't go. Your brother and I don't get along either."  
  
"That's the difference. We used to be separable. Now he hates me, and blames ME for emotional damage to our mother. When it's really his fault."  
  
"Is it really? Or are you just blaming him for something that could be part your fault as well."  
  
"You listen to me, Malfoy. I tried to talk to him. I tried being nice, and it was great to see him, even if he was nasty. He wouldn't listen to me. I've done my bit. Now it's his turn." Ginny grumbled.  
  
"I may not know that much about families, mine wasn't exactly poster normal, but I should think that being understanding is a big part in making things work. You know his temperament. Hell, I know his temperament. Little things set him off. I'm not saying he's right, but maybe some more contact would set things straight again." Ginny glared at him, even though what he was saying did make some sense.  
  
"I'm not looking for counseling, Malfoy. I've done alright so far. So, thank you for babysitting for me. When do you want your date?"  
  
"You get straight to the point, don't you?"  
  
"Life's far too short to beat around the bush."  
  
"It's also far too short to be at war with your family." She was about to say something else, but he cut her off. "I'll pick you up at six on Sunday. Can you find yourself a babysitter for then?"  
  
"No problems."  
  
"See you then, Weasley." He turned to the door, he obviously did not apparate a whole lot. She stopped him for a moment.  
  
"Hey, Malfoy?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You already said that. She was a great kid."  
  
"No, I.I mean for making sure I was okay. I wasn't, but I think I'm going to be. I'm not a total bitch. I am capable of admitting when I'm in the wrong." He smiled at her, pleased.  
  
"Anytime, Weasley." 


	7. 7

Wow, okay so it's been over a year since I updated this story. It unfortunately got lost in the cacophony of events that make up my life, and I simply have not had the time to do any work on any of my ongoing stories whatsoever. However, since I intend to graduate from school in the fall, there will be no more pesky essays or assignments to bust my ass on, leaving me considerably more time for my creative mind. And oh how liberating it is. So, to make up for lost time, you get three chapters today.

Disclaimer: I own diddly squat. I'm serious. I have a massive student loan and an apartment to pay rent on. I'll be broke for at least the next decade.

Chapter 7 

Ginny spent the next couple of days in a panic. She was actually going on a date for the first time in five years, and she absolutely no clue as to what she should wear, do or say. Of course, it didn't help that Malfoy hadn't told her anything about this date they were having. She eventually had to call in Hermione to help, and that also involved a lot of explaining.

"You're what!" Hermione exclaimed, looking up sharply from trying to locate her toenails.

"I'm going on a date with Malfoy, and I have no idea what I'm doing." 

"Well, I should say so. Seeing as how it's Malfoy for Cripes sakes." Hermione was trying to give her the best admonishing look she had, but it didn't quite come off right, because she was also trying to fight a smile off her face. 

"Don't even try to give me that look. It's not like I really want to date him seriously. This was his price for babysitting for me."

"He babysat for you?" If Hermione could look any more astonished, it would be amazing. 

"Yeah, last night. My babysitter had an emergency and couldn't make it. That's why I was late."

"Ah. I see. So he's already made it past the kid inspection."

"Pardon?"

"Well, Sam hasn't been complaining about him, has she?"

"No…"

"Well then, she likes him."

"That doesn't mean a thing. Now, are you going to help me, or not?" 

"I'll help you. But, think about this for a minute. Draco Malfoy was the one person in the world that Ron never stopped hating. Not even his Medals of Valour during the War put him in Ron's good books."

"He won Medals of Valour?" 

"That's not the point. The point is, going out with him is not going to make your brother very happy. It could ruin whatever chance you have of regaining what you've lost."

Ginny laughed bitterly.

"Any chance I had was effectively ruined last night I think. And it wasn't my fault."

"I know that. But still…"

"I know, Herm. I know the risks I'm taking. But, I really don't think this is going to go anywhere past this date, so it'll be alright."

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Don't be so sure." She said so quietly that Ginny didn't quite hear what she said.

"What was that?"

"I said, well if you're sure. Lets pick out something to wear, and easy hairstyle you can do yourself, and I'll even offer to babysit Sam for you."

"Thanks Hermione."

"Hey, this is what girlfriends are for."


	8. 8

Chapter 8 

It was Sunday. Ginny was leaving for her date in exactly two hours and she was now having a small anxiety attack. And as usual, to battle this anxiety, she cleaned the apartment. Harry was going to come by in a half hour to take Sam for the evening, then she had to get ready, so cleaning the apartment kept her busy. She was currently scrubbing every surface in the kitchen with extra strength cleaner.

"Mummy?" Samantha said from the kitchen floor with her dolls.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Why don't I have a daddy?" Ginny stopped what she was doing and turned to her.

When she didn't answer right away, Samantha continued.

"Mary- Ann said her daddy was going away on a trip. An' I said what's a daddy? An' she said, a Daddy's the person who works all the time and does fun stuff on Saturdays. I said, that's what my mummy does. Then she laughed an' said that I didn't have a daddy. Why don't I have one?" She said, looking forlornly up at Ginny. Ginny sat down on the floor and gathered her up in her arms. She was silent for a while, and for a moment Sam was content with the hug, but she was still an inquisitive little girl.

"Mummy?"

"Sweetie, everybody has a daddy. But sometimes, the daddies can't be around all the time." Ginny whispered into her hair. How did she explain her actions to a five year old? How could she tell her what happened to her father, when she didn't know herself. She didn't know who had fathered Samantha, she didn't even know if half the men she'd slept with had even survived the War. For all she knew, he could have died five years ago.

"Then I do have a Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetie."

"Where is he that he isn't here?" 

"Well…a Daddy isn't always someone who's been here. Sometimes he's somewhere else."

"But where?"

Ginny sighed. She had known that Sam would start asking questions like this sooner or later. She'd just hoped it would be later.

"He's out there somewhere, Sam. He just hasn't found you yet." She said. Sensing somehow that this was the end of the discussion, Sam was quiet. Harry found them like that, on the kitchen floor a few minutes later.

"I'm a little early, am I interrupting something?" Ginny jumped a little, but smiled at him.

"It's alright Harry. We were just having some bonding time. Well, sweetie, why don't you get together what you want to take to Uncle Harry's." She told Samantha. She squealed and ran off to her room. Ginny wiped the remnant of a tear from her face and turned to Harry.

"Everything okay?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yes. It's just that she was asking about her father." 

"Oh." 

"Yeah."

"Did you tell her the truth?"

"Harry Potter! What kind of a person do you think I am? She wouldn't understand the truth now anyway. I'll tell her all of it when she's much older."

"Even if she ends up hating you?"

"Better than having to put her in therapy now." 

"Alright. Fair enough. Your mother is going to stop by today, is that alright?"

"Of course it is. You know how much she loves to see Sam." Though Ginny herself hadn't had contact with her mother since Sam was born, they decided at a chance meeting at Hermione's flat that Molly would visit with Sam whenever the chance arose. Ginny couldn't bring herself to keep her mother away from the first Granddaughter in the family. This way, her mother wouldn't have to lie when Ron demanded to know whether she'd seen Ginny recently.

"She'd love for you to come back you know." 

"I know. And sometimes I wish I could. But we both know I can't." 

At that moment, Sam came running back out of her room with a bag full of goodies to play with, grinning with glee.

"Can we go now, Uncle Harry?" She chirped.

"Hey now, not without a goodbye hug!" Ginny laughed, grabbing her up in a bear hug. "Now, you be good."

"Yes Mummy." 

"Good girl. See you later, sweetie." Harry waved goodbye and they portkeyed away.


	9. 9

Chapter 9

Draco eyed his date from across the table. She'd been quiet and subdued since he'd picked her up, but he could also tell that it wasn't because of him. Although perhaps he wasn't really helping the situation. He didn't know why he had been driven to take the youngest Weasley out, but he was, and that was good enough. There was something about her, despite the tough as nails exterior, that made her seem vulnerable in some way. He could recognize the War scars, even without pursuing her. They had been left on anyone old enough to remember it. Which was pretty much everyone these days. But hers were different, not the horrors of battle, the horrors of the after effects. The bodies carted in to be put back into one piece, the hexes to fix. Healers had the dirtiest jobs of them all. The difference between Ginny Weasley and other Healers he'd known though, was that they had all been able to deal with what they saw. They faced their fears and their foes and came out on top. She hadn't. She couldn't deal with the past.

When she sighed into her wine glass the fortieth time, he decided it was time to do something about this melancholy.

"Look, I know I'm not exactly the most wonderful date, but I didn't think I was that boring." He said, trying to lighten the mood. She looked up, startled. 

"What?" 

"You've been glum all night. If you sigh into that glass one more time, you're going to fall into it." He told her, smiling. She smiled a little back at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Really, I am. And it's not you. So far, this evening has been very enjoyable. It's just that…well, I have some other things on my mind, and they're depressing."

"I'm sorry. Would you like to talk about it?"

"I would, but I don't think you'll be able to help, and I doubt you'd be interested."

"Everything about you interests me." He hadn't meant for that to sound so corny, but he couldn't take it back, now that it had been said. She was eyeing him curiously, but she didn't look hostile, like she had before. After careful consideration, she seemed to come to a decision.

"It's Samantha."

"Is something wrong?" 

"No…not wrong. But not really right either. She was asking me about her father today."

"Oh."

"It's not like I didn't know she would eventually ask questions about him, I'd just hoped it would be a few years from now, when she was old enough to understand what had gone on." Ginny said, frowning somewhat. "But then again, I suppose even when she's old enough, she'll never fully understand, will she?"

"Possibly not. What did you say to her?"

"I gave some flim flam story about how sometimes Daddies aren't always around because they haven't found their children yet. She bought it, and I wasn't exactly lying, but it's made me think about how I'm going to explain everything in detail to her when she asks more questions. Which she undoubtedly will, someday."

"I see."

"It's not like I can tell her that he's dead, or that we don't love each other anymore, like most parents. My problem is, I have no idea who he was. So I can't find out if he's dead, or married, or whatever."

"You really have no clue who could have been the father?" 

"None."

"What about counting back, you know, narrowing it down to whoever you slept with during the month you conceived?"

"That would be a good plan, except that I carried her for eight months, to my knowledge. She could have been early, right on time, or late. I just don't know." 

"So you don't even have a ballpark figure." 

"No."

"Hm. Tricky."

"You're telling me."

"Isn't there some sort of Muggle procedure for determining parentage? DNA testing, or something?" Ginny thought a moment, and nodded, but she didn't look hopeful.

"There is, but to get a result, you need some DNA to match it up with. I don't have that. Or a way of getting it. I'm in for a rough time in a couple of years. But I'll manage, somehow."

"I'm sure you will." 

"You have a lot of confidence in me, for someone who hated my guts when we were kids."

"Oh, well, I can explain that. I didn't hate you, per se, I hated Weasleys."

"Why?" 

"Because my father said so. And in those days, when my father said jump, I asked how high on the way up."

"What changed?" Draco thought for a moment. There had been a lot of good reasons that he'd changed over the years. The biggest one was sitting right across from him.

"I grew up, I guess."


	10. 10

This chapter goes out to Bob the Viking. Your review has got to be the best review I have ever received in my entire fanfic career. People telling me that they love my stories, or they love what I'm doing with the characters is all well and fine, and very motivating, but not exactly the most constructive comments in the world. Not that I'm complaining about them of course, I would never complain about any one of my stories being read, and by leaving a review, it tells me that it was liked enough to encourage some feedback. And I love feedback. Your review, Mr. Bob, was amazing. It was encouraging, helpful, and damn, but aren't you the perceptive one. It would ruin the story to tell you what I have planned for the rest of the story, but I will tell you that you managed to hit it right on the money with one or two of your observations. Now, I've just started a new job, and I have a complicated Anime Convention costume to work on for next weekend, so I can't guarantee the frequency of updates on this story. I can promise that I will finish it, and it was your review that made me really want to do so.

Now that I've said my appreciative and grateful piece, I'm just going to say that I own nothing, and get on with the chapter. I hope it lives up to the rest of the story.

Chapter 10

Dinner hour at the restaurant was always busy. It seemed as though it was exceptionally busy that day, as if in retribution for Ginny having taken an entire weekend off. At least she actually had a decent night out at last. Malfoy had been quite the gentleman, even though she had been less than the ideal date. The evening had ended with a sort of understanding between them. She wasn't quite sure what was going on there, but any hostility on her part seemed to have disappeared. She supposed she would just have to wait and see what happened. Ginny shook herself out of her thoughts and approached the kitchen window.

"Hey Joseph, what's keeping table nine's order? I put that in twenty minutes ago!" Ginny shouted into the kitchen.

"Hold your damned horses girl, the new sous chef almost set fire to the kitchen again, we're all lucky to still be alive." The older man groused at her, handing her the plates himself. She grinned at him.

"Oh, come on Joe. You'd never let this place burn, you love it too much."

"Yeah, well, like any marriage there are good periods and bad periods. And this sous chef is a bad period. He goes first thing tomorrow."

"Better clear that with Jolena first. You remember what happened the last time you took it upon yourself to fire the kitchen staff." Ginny winked at him, and then got the orders to the table as fast as humanly possible. She sighed in relief when she realized that she was due to go on break in just under a minute, and that was the last table she had to actually serve food to, and she wouldn't be needed for some time at any of her tables. She quickly darted into the kitchen, bypassing Joe yelling some creative obscenities at the new sous chef and exited the building. The night air was cool, and she rejoiced in it, grateful that she only had to work dinner hours once every two weeks.

"Long day?" A voice asked from her right. She jumped slightly and frowned.

"Make it a habit of sneaking up on people, Malfoy?" She asked coolly. She heard him chuckle.

"No, only you. You're the only one that probably won't hex me on the spot."

"Don't I feel special. What are you doing here, anyway? I thought agreeing to one date would mean that you leave me alone."

"I never said that, now did I?" Ginny rolled her eyes and turned to him.

"What do you want now, Malfoy?"

"I've got a bit of a conundrum. I'm supposed to be giving a speech at a rather important party tomorrow night, and it appears that if I'm going to make a good impression, I need to appear with a gorgeous date."

"And all the super models are busy?" She asked sweetly, and was a little surprised when a look of pure disbelief crossed his face.

"Well, no actually, I thought I'd bypass all that hype and go straight to the only woman I know of that would fit the bill. She just has to say yes." Ginny raised her eyebrows and stared pointedly at Malfoy for a full minute before she tried to say anything.

"You think that complimenting me is going to get me to go out with you again?"

"No, I think that telling you the truth is going to sway your decision in my favour."

"Malfoy, the truth is that my neither my hips, nor my boobs have fully lost the weight I put on with Samantha. I'm short, I'm dumpy and I'm ill tempered. I'm not gorgeous, and I would not be good company."

"That's where you're wrong, you see. You were always a trifle on the skinny side when we were in school. Frankly, there were times when you looked like a pile of sticks awkwardly thrown together," at her glare he stopped and moved on to a better subject. One that wouldn't result in his knees being broken. "But in the five years it has been since I last saw you, Weasley, that weight you seem to disdain so much has filled you out to your potential. You have a body that models would spend a million pounds to get. You're also considerably smarter and more genuine than most of them."

Ginny had to smile. If he was being sincere, then this had to be the best compliment she had ever received in her life. If he was trying to use flattery to get her to go with him, then he was the best bullshit man she had ever met. Both of which made it worthwhile to accept.

"Malfoy, you're either the best flatterer this country has ever produced, or the most realistic romantic I have ever met." She said, looking him in the eye. "I can ask Hermione to babysit again, she's always thrilled. I can't guarantee a formal dress though. I don't shop much anymore."

She watched the grin blossom on Malfoy's face with a little bit of glee, not that she would ever admit it.

"I'm sure that whatever you have will be just perfect."


	11. 11

This one is for Embellished. You should never feel like you need to live up to someone else's opinions. I loved your review just as much as I loved all the other reviews I've gotten. Everything helps. Like I said, I love feedback of any form, I certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to complain about people leaving reviews. I'd have to be pretty brainless to do that. So, thanks to Embellished, this chapter was inspired and hammered out in one evening, a lot sooner than I had initially imagined. Give yourself a pat on the back! On with the story!

For the record, I own nothing. I have under 2000 dollars in my savings account, I'd be a waste of a lawsuit's time.

Chapter 11

"So let me get this straight. You made yourself a solemn oath that the only date you would ever go on with Malfoy was the one that he wanted in return for babysitting your daughter, but now he wants you to go so some fancy party with him, and you're actually going to go?" Hermione pulled a face at Ginny that suggested that she thought the younger girl was completely off her rocker.

"Yes. That's it exactly. Now help me, Hermione! None of my fancy dresses fit anymore!"

"Ginny. Calm down for a moment and think about this." Ginny ignored her and continued running around her room in a panic. She barely registered the growl that came from deep within Hermione's throat, but was forced to stop moving when an arm shot out and grabbed her wrist on her way by the bed. Hermione tugged once and Ginny fell over onto the foot of the bed.

"Never disobey a pregnant woman. You should know that one by now." Hermione admonished, poking her with her feet. Ginny laughed and blew her hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"I do. You're finally getting a social life after five years of devotion to your wonderful daughter. You deserve it, but you just don't know what to do with it." Hermione told her. Ginny shook her head.

"Am I crazy, Hermione? I mean, this is Malfoy we're talking about."

"Ginny, you and I are already fully aware of any risks that might be involved with dating Malfoy. But you know what?"

"What?" 

"Sometimes, we just have to forget what the world thinks and just go with what life gives us. Even if it seems insane."

"I guess. He's actually been very sweet to me, aside from our slight clash when he first showed up in the restaurant. Although, looking back I think that was mostly me being a bitch. There's still a part of me that wants to tell him to bugger off though."

"That's the part of you that is resisting change, honey. Just remember that change is good. Look, I know that you don't really want to do anything that might hurt Sam, but trust me, there is nothing about dating Draco Malfoy that will hurt her in any way.

"How do you know that? You know, sometimes I get the feeling that you and Harry know more about all of this than you're letting on. Why is that, Hermione?"

For the first time in forever, Hermione looked a little cagey. Ginny hadn't seen that look on her face since the one time they had seen each other over the course of the entire war. Back then, it had been because Hermione was in possession of some very sensitive information that she hadn't wanted to expose Ginny to. This time, Ginny knew better than to try and press her into saying something. She would know whatever it was eventually.

"Nevermind, Hermione. It's not important. Now, what am I going to do? I have a closet full of unusable dresses, and four hours left to make myself look gorgeous."

"You already are gorgeous. However, from here I can see a lovely forest green dress hanging in your closet. Go put that on and I'll see what I can do with it." Ginny turned toward her closet and peered at the dress Hermione was talking about.

"That was my graduation dress. It stopped fitting properly about five years ago." She moaned. Hermione chuckled.

"Well, my dear, that's what alteration spells are for. Get it for me. And remember, disobeying a pregnant lady has disastrous after affects."

"You don't have to remind me." Ginny said as she rolled off the bed. "Poor Harry never quite knew what he'd done wrong when I used to snap at him. I hope he's learned something from that experience." Hermione laughed.

"Oh yes. He knows better than to cross me." Ginny brought over the dress and Hermione began playing around with the hem.

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Ginny?"

"You are such a life saver."

"Anytime, Ginny."


	12. Chapter 12

For the record, I intend to finish this story if it kills me. I apologize if things start seeming a little rushed from here on in, I'll try not to make it too fast, but I want to finish this soon, so I have one less unfinished story on my mind.

I own nothing. I don't even have a job right now, suing me would be a complete waste of a lawyer's time.

Chapter 12 

"Okay, he should be here any minute, are you sure you're alright staying here with her?" Ginny asked Hermione for probably the hundredth time in two hours. Hermione rolled her eyes at her.

"Yes, Ginny. I'll be fine. I swear, between you, Harry and Ron all fussing over me, this baby is going to be born with severe confidence problems." She muttered.

"That'll never happen. But seriously, you know that you can take her back to your place if you think you'll be more comfortable." Ginny told her, raising a hand to poke at her hair again.

"Touch that hair again and I'll put a nasty charm on your hands." Hermione warned her. She had spent a painstaking hour and a half trying to get Ginny's hair to do what she wanted, there was no way she was letting Ginny ruin it. She continued. "Ginny, your couch is just as comfortable as mine. Harry rarely lets me out of the house anymore, I need the change of scenery. You may find me sleeping on this thing when you get home though." She warned lightly. Ginny giggled.

"Yeah, I remember that all too well. Staying awake just got harder as the months progressed. You're doing better than I did though. Of course, when I hit the eight month mark, I gave birth, so I'm not exactly a textbook example." Hermione laughed with her. They were interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on Ginny's door. Hermione grinned.

"Well, Ginny dear, that's your cue." She said. Ginny threw an exasperated look at her, then moved to answer the door. Draco Malfoy stood on the other side of her door, leaning on her doorframe, and looking like the sexiest man alive. It really was a fancy occasion, he was wearing a tuxedo that had probably been made by a little old tailor in the heart of Italy. The jacket had tails, and he was actually holding a top hat. No one but him could pull off a top hat in this day and age. She suddenly realized that she was staring, and shook herself out of her trance.

"Evening, Malfoy." She greeted, reaching for the little clutch purse that Hermione had made to match her dress. When she straightened up, she finally noticed that she was not the only one who had been staring. Malfoy still hadn't taken his eyes off her. She cleared her throat a little, and he snapped out of it and looked her in the eye with a smile.

"Evening, Weasley. I was right." She frowned at him in confusion.

"Sorry?"

"I did tell you that whatever you had would be perfect." Ginny blushed.

"Well, thank you. But I can't take all the credit. Hermione fixed it up for me." She waved her hand in the general direction of her couch, where Hermione had yet to move herself from.

"Hullo, Malfoy!" She called over. Malfoy peered around her shoulder and waved.

"Evening, Granger. Everything going all right?"

"Oh, just fine. You two better get going though, if you don't want to be late."

"Quite right, we should be going."

"Just a second. Sam! Come give mummy a hug!" Ginny called, and the girl came barreling out of her room. She came to a halt at Ginny's feet and grinned at her.

"You look pretty Mummy." She said. Ginny smiled at her and knelt down.

"Thank you, sweetie. Now, I want you to be very good for Aunty Hermione, okay?"

"Because Aunty Hermione's not s'posed to run around, yes Mummy."

"Hey! I am perfectly capable of running around." Hermione retorted, but the comment lost its validity when she still remained buried in couch cushions.

"But you're not s'posed to." Sam told her, shaking a finger at her. Ginny laughed and hugged her. Sam hugged back. When Ginny stood up again, Sam turned to Malfoy and gave him her best Weasley stare.

"You take good care of my Mummy, Mr. Draco." Malfoy cracked a smile and crouched down to look her in the eye.

"I promise that I will return your Mummy to you, looking just as pretty as she does right now, okay?" He held out a hand for her to shake, and Sam smiled at him as she shook it.

"Okay."

Ginny smiled widely and started heading out the door.

"Have a good night you guys." She called. Malfoy stood up and followed her out.

"You're very good with her." She told him as she locked her door.

"Well, she makes it easy. I don't think I've met a better mannered kid. Of course, the ones that I have met only seem to want to kick me in the shins…." He said, offering his elbow to her. Ginny laughed.

"They must recognize a kindred spirit." He laughed with her.

"You wound me, Weasley."

"Not as much as those kids it would seem."


	13. Chapter 13

I own nothing. I don't even have a job right now, suing me would be a complete waste of a lawyer's time.

Chapter 13

It was a highly posh affair, and for several minutes Ginny felt very out of place. That was, until she caught sight of a very familiar face while she'd been left briefly alone at the punch bowl.

"Neville!"

"Ginny!"

"What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time. They stared at each other, both fully realizing that if this were a movie, then they would be laughing. They laughed anyway.

"I came with Malfoy." She admitted. Neville raised his eyebrows at her, but made no comment. For some reason, she still felt the need to explain herself, but decided that if he didn't ask, she wasn't going to offer. After all, who she dated was her business.

"What about you?"

"Oh, I've been working the Malfoy Corporation for about three years now." Ginny nearly choked on her punch.

"You what?" Neville practically grinned at her surprise.

"I'm an accountant Ginny. You know that. I was working with the Ministry for a while, but then Malfoy stomped into my office one day and offered me a job."

"Offered you a job?"

"Well…demanded that I come and work for him. It's been much more interesting than working with the Ministry accounts, I can tell you. I've been handling most of the work for the orphanages these past couple of years."

"Orphanages?" Ginny was well beyond confused at that moment. It struck her then that she'd never asked Malfoy what he'd been doing in the last five years. She'd assumed that he'd been living the way he'd always done, on his vast family fortune. It never occurred to her that he might actually be working. Neville was chuckling good naturedly at her.

"Great Merlin, Ginny. Have you really been out of touch for that long? After his father was killed in the War, Malfoy took control of the family estate, and used a lot of the assets to create Orphanages for children whose parents hadn't survived the war, and Hospices for people whose homes had been destroyed. His family had a large number of buildings in its possession, you see."

"I had no idea…." She murmured.

"Ah, you see, Ginny. You've been out of touch far too long." She smiled at him and set her punch down.

"Far too long. Look, Neville, would you excuse me, I need to take care of something." She said. He smiled at her and nodded.

"Of course. I need to go have a word with a few people anyway. Good luck."

She turned away and scanned the crowd for blonde hair. She caught sight of him heading in her direction and she made a beeline for him.

"Sorry about that, Ginny. My assistant was supposed to have everything set up before the party started, and the blasted man was only halfway done." He apologized, but he was cut off when she grabbed his lapels and planted her lips on his.

It was totally cliché. But later, she would remember that time froze while she kissed him, and then seemed to speed up when he kissed back. Kissing Draco Malfoy was like nothing she had ever expected. In fact, it was probably better. And if she would ever let herself admit it, she'd probably been thinking about doing this ever since she first saw him sitting in the booth at the diner.

They pulled apart and he stared at her in awe. No one around them had noticed them at all, and that was the way she wanted it.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what brought that on?" He asked. She smiled.

"I'm sorry."

"What on Earth could you possibly be sorry about?" 

"I just found out what you've been doing with your life. I never asked before because I made a stupid assumption about you. And I was wrong." She grinned at him. "I have never been happier that I was wrong." He grinned back at her.

"Do you normally kiss men on a second date?" He asked. She thought for a moment.

"No." His grin widened.

"I guess that means I'm special." She made a face at him and giggled.

"Actually, it means that I haven't had dates that led to second date in a very long time." He pursed his lips and pretended to think about this for a moment.

"I like my reasoning better."

"You would."

"Dance with me." 

"What about your speech?" He made a great show of examining his watch.

"I think we've got plenty of time. Dance with me."


	14. Chapter 14

Whoo. This chapter is longer than I was expecting it to be. But as I was writing it, I realized that there was no way that I could break it up into two chapters. Too much gets said in this chapter to make you all have to click an extra button. Thanks so much for all this inspiring reviews you guys! Enjoy!

I still own nothing. But I do have a job now! Hurray for me!

Chapter 14

They only stopped dancing long enough for Draco to give his speech. Ginny was dead on her feet, but she was feeling more excited than she had in a long while. Something new was beginning here, she could feel it. Truth be told, she'd been feeling it for a while, but like Hermione said, she'd been resisting it, resisting the change. She was still having a hard time rationalizing it, but it really was time for a change. Despite her impulsive kiss earlier that evening, both she and Draco did want to take this slowly, to do it right. Rushing it could ruin it. She shook her head and stuck her key in the lock. He'd kissed her goodnight and left her at her door like any gentleman would have done. It was her own fault that she'd been standing there in a daze for about five minutes. She opened the door and stepped in, locking it behind her.

"Hermione? I'm back. Are you still awake?" She glanced at the clock in the hallway and saw that it was one thirty.

"Well, she probably is. Unless they've had to do a C-section." A voice that was not Hermione's answered her. She screeched and flipped on all the light switches she could reach.

"Ron! What the hell!" She hissed at him, irritably. Then she frowned. "Wait, what?"

"Hermione went into labour about two hours after you left for your party thing. She called Harry in a panic. He took her to the hospital, and I came over here."

"You? Came over here? Knowing full well what she was doing here?"

"Come on, Ginny. We may have had our differences, but I'm not heartless enough to make a woman in labour call around for a babysitter when I could do it just as easily. I was with Harry when she called, and…well…Samantha was having a bit of a panic episode."

"Is she all right?" Ginny cried, making for the girl's bedroom. She had never thought that Hermione might go into premature labour, and never thought about how her daughter might react to it. Ron stepped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders.

"She's fine, Gin. She was just worried about Hermione." Ginny frowned again and looked him in the eyes for the first time in years.

"You haven't called me that in a long time." She whispered.

"I know. And…." He sighed. "And I'm sorry. I haven't been fair at all, and I know that now. I think I always knew it, I was just too stubborn for my own good." Ginny stared at him. Was he really trying to patch things up with her?

"Ron, are you…doing what I think you're doing?" She asked. Ron smiled at her.

"Ginny, your daughter is the most amazing little girl I have ever met. She never asked me a single question about why she'd never seen me before. She let me play with her, and had me read to her. And she was so worried about Hermione, I had to tell her repeatedly that she was going to be fine. The only way I could get her to go to sleep was to promise her that she could see Hermione in the morning. I have to admit that I am utterly ashamed of myself to have forced the two of you away from the family that loves you. Do you think you can possibly forgive me?" Ginny blinked and pulled away from him.

"I don't know, Ron. I used to think I could forgive you anything, because you were my brother and I loved you. But you made me feel so…cheap. And you never even tried to understand what I went through, waiting for news…and not feeling when I got that news. When you're in that situation, you do anything to feel. I could understand you being disappointed that I'd screwed up. Because I did screw up, Ron. I do know that, I'm not living in a naïve little bubble. But you didn't even trust me enough to know that I would never back out of a responsibility. Instead you all jumped on me, and you never let me explain what I was planning to do. You all just assumed that I was going to leech onto our parents, saddle them with my baby and run off on my own merry way. You should have known me better!" She cried, and she sat down on her couch with her head in her hands. Ron sat down next to her and touched her shoulder.

"We should never have yelled at you. I think we just didn't want to believe that our baby sister had grown up, and we hadn't even noticed. But…we were insensitive idiots, instead of loyal older brothers. And I really wish we hadn't been so stupid, because we have missed out on a lot of stuff. Like knowing about first words, and spoiling her on her birthdays. I'm also very glad that you've been sneaking her some visits with Mum."

Ginny glanced at him. He had an amused expression on his face.

"You know about those?"

"Sam gives her drawings. Mum doesn't always hide them when I visit the house. After the way she yelled at us when you left, there was no way I was going to complain about her seeing Sam."

Ginny managed a small smile.

"We've all been miserable without you, Ginny. Pride really is the worst obstacle in all things. We knew that there was no way that you'd come back on your own, and we were so determined that we had done no wrong. And it's been destroying our family."

"What about Fred and George? They had just as much to say as you did." Ginny watched Ron's face suddenly darken in embarrassment.

"They've been ready to scour the world looking for you ever since the morning you left." Ginny stared at him in disbelief.

"What?"

"What can I say? They've always been more levelheaded than I am. They slept on it, and were all ready to apologize to you that morning, but when we discovered you'd gone…."

Ginny blinked rapidly, then frowned at him.

"Are you telling me that the last five years of my life have been your fault, and your fault alone?"

"Well…more or less."

Two years ago, she would have been even more angry with him than she had been in the first place. Actually, yesterday she probably would have been extremely ticked off about what he'd just admitted to. But for some reason, right now, it was extremely funny. Through her gales of laughter, she could see Ron frowning at her in concern, and that only made her laugh harder.

"Ginny, I didn't think me ruining your life was all that funny." She couldn't stop laughing. In fact, she hadn't laughed quite like this in a long time.

"Ginny, seriously. You're going to wake up Sam." She bit her lip and tried valiantly to contain herself. It was difficult, but in the end, she was down to sporadic giggles while she wiped tears away from her eyes.

"Now. Are you going to tell me what was so funny?" She giggled again, but took a deep breath and tried to explain.

"I'm sorry. You know, if you'd shown up last week and told me that I probably would have decked you. Decked you, then tossed you out of the building myself. But today…I don't know. Today things are different. Hermione told me that I've been resisting change. I think she's right, and I think I've changed more over the last few days than I have in the past five years. I was thinking, when I was standing outside the door that it was time for a change. Time for something different. What better way to start something different than to forgive the past?"

"Forgive the past?"

"Yeah. I think I've never gotten over everything, and I made the past something that I carry around for people to see. And I don't need to do that, because even though I did screw up, I'm not ashamed of it. I tried to leave it behind. I tried to forget the past, but it's what made me. Someone once told me that sometimes the past doesn't want to be left behind. I think he was right. I can't forget it, but I can forgive it, and I can move on. It's time I did that."

"See, this is why you are one of the smartest Weasleys to ever grace the planet with her presence."

"Ooh, flattery. You think that's going to get you all the way back into my good graces?"

"Well, I'm hoping it'll help my case." Ginny laughed again. It felt good to banter like this again.

"Does this mean that you'll forgive me?"

"This means that you're almost completely forgiven. I have to make you work to get the rest of the way, because if I didn't I wouldn't get to have any fun at your expense."

"I can live with that."


	15. Chapter 15

All right, the next chapter, done. This one is mostly just cute, I think. Nothing really happens, sort of a breath of air after all the stuff that's come before. With luck, I should be getting the next chapters done soonish. Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews! You guys are great!

Disclaimer: I seem to be doing quite well at my job, but I still haven't got near enough to be worth a lawsuit, so I own zilch.

Chapter 15 

"Mummy! When can we go see Auntie Herm-i-own-y? Mummy! Mummy! Wake up Mummy!"

Ginny opened one eye and stared balefully at the little girl bouncing on the bed exactly one foot in front of her nose. She closed that eye quickly, in hopes that maybe Sam hadn't noticed and would go away.

"I saw that Mummy! Get up, Mummy! I want to see Auntie Herm-i-own-y!"

Ginny groaned and rolled over onto her back, closing her eyes. Samantha responded by jumping onto her stomach.

"Ooof! Sam!" She grumbled. Sam grinned at her.

"Are you awake now, Mummy?"

"You might say that."

"Can we go see Auntie Herm-i-own-y?"

"Maybe later, baby."

"But Uncle Ron said we could go in the morning! It's morning! Mr. Sun came up hours ago!"

"Uncle Ron is under the mistaken idea that everyone recovers from a night out the same way that he does."

"What, Mummy?"

"Why don't you go and ask Uncle Ron to take you right now."

"Uncle Ron is here?"

"Yes, sweetie. Uncle Ron is here. He's on the couch. Why don't you show him just how well you can jump?"

"Okay!"

Samantha ran out of the room and Ginny lay back down again, sighing in contentment. That should get her out of her hair for at least enough time to completely wake up. She grinned to herself when she heard a loud shout from the living room.

"Uncle Ron! I jumped from all the way over there! Isn't that far away? Can we go see Auntie Herm-i-own-y now?"

Incoherent mumblings could be heard from the direction of the living room and Ginny laughed silently. Serves Ron right for making that promise in the first place.

"Uncle Ron! That's a naughty word! Miss Peabody makes Jimmy Nelson stand in the corner for ten whole minutes when he says that word."

"You better not be swearing at my daughter Ronald Weasley!" Ginny shouted, finally rolling off the bed, and landing squarely in her slippers.

"It's okay Mummy! It wasn't the twenty minute word!" Sam called back at her. Ginny grappled with her dressing gown for a moment, then managed to pull it on properly. She went into the living room to find Ron looking as if he wanted to double up in pain, and Samantha sitting primly on his legs, which was why he wasn't doubled up in pain. She hid encroaching giggles behind a frown and whacked his feet.

"Don't be swearing around my daughter. This isn't Hogwarts, and young ears take in everything they can."

A grumble answered her. It was something mildly incoherent about the time.

"Well, this is what you get for making promises to an overactive five year old. Come on Sam, let's get some breakfast into you before we make any trips to see Aunt Hermione."

"'Kay!"

"Get up, Ron. And I might make you some pancakes to make you feel better."

Injuries forgotten at the thought of homemade Weasley pancakes, Ron was off the sofa in seconds, following Samantha into the kitchen. Ginny shook her head and laughed. Things seemed to be getting back to normal.


	16. Chapter 16

Ha! At last, an update. I'm trying to move the story along, I really am. And hopefully, my muse will stay here with me, instead of running off and dancing with the fairies again, so I can get it written. I have a rough idea of where I want this to go, but getting it there is another situation entirely. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nothing is owned by me. They all have lives of their own, but they do allow me to take them out for exercise every so often.

Chapter 16

Ginny followed Ron and Samantha at a leisurely pace through St Mungos. Sam had a death grip on Ron's hand, she didn't seem to be in any hurry to let go of her new found favourite uncle. She was glad. Family had always been important to her, and it had pained her to leave it all behind, but pride often had an upper hand in the decision making process of a Weasley's mind. Hers particularly.

"Ginny! You still there?" Ron and paused and was waiting for her to catch up. Samantha was watching her impatiently.

"Come on, Mummy. Auntie Herm-i-own-y's room is this way. The lady said so." The girl was tapping her feet excitedly.

"Yes, yes. I'm coming. You don't have to wait for me, you know."

"But you have to be there for the presents!" Sam complained.

"All right, all right." Ginny reached out and took Sam's other hand, and the girl took off again, dragging the two adults behind her. Ron chuckled.

"Spirited, isn't she?"

"Hm. Can't imagine where she gets it from." Ginny winked at him conspiratorially.

They reached Hermione's room at last, and Samantha let go of their hands to run into the room.

"Auntie Herm-i-own-y! She yelled as she barreled into the room. Ginny winced, and hoped that Hermione and the baby hadn't been asleep.

"Hey you!" She heard Hermione's voice answer. Ginny smiled, then she and Ron followed her in.

Hermione was sitting up in the bed, and Samantha had made herself quite comfortable kneeling next to her to give her a hug. Ginny hoped that she hadn't jumped onto the bed, and threw a questioning glance at Hermione to make sure. Hermione smiled at her and shook her head slightly, then turned back to the babbling five year old.

"The baby's here now, right? Did the baby come out? Can I see the baby?" All of the adults laughed, and Hermione smoothed back some of Sam's runaway hair.

"Take it easy, Sam. Yes, yes, and yes. One of the Healers is going to bring her in a minute."

"It's a girl, like me?"

"A girl, yes. We won't know what she's like until she gets bigger."

"Bigger like me!"

"Bigger like you."

Ginny grinned and sat down in one of the chairs by Hermione's bed.

"How did it go?" She asked. 

"Surprisingly well. They gave me some pretty strong painkillers, and put me to sleep for a little while after she was born."

"What are you naming her?" Ron asked, taking the other chair. If Hermione had been surprised that the two had shown up together, she didn't show it.

"Tabitha Lily. I wanted to make it Lily Tabitha, but Harry thought it was better the other way around." She said, a wide smile indicating that she didn't think it was too bad of a choice.

"Where is Harry?" Ron asked, puzzled at the other man's absence.

"He left about half an hour ago, to change and to spread the good news." She told him. "I'd been trying to get him to go home for hours. He'll be back soon."

Conversation paused when a Healer appeared, wheeling in a little bed. Hermione's eyes lit up immediately, and Ginny smiled, she imagined she looked much the same whenever Sam came into the room. The Healer picked a pick bundle out of the bed and carried it over to Hermione. Samantha, somehow knowing that she had to move, shifted over to make room. Hermione adjusted the bundle in her arms so that a face was more visible then held the baby so Sam could see.

"Here we are. Samantha Weasley, say hello to Tabitha Potter." Hermione wrapped the baby's fingers gently around one of Sam's, and Sam obediently moved her hand as though shaking hands.

"Hello, Tabitha. She's so little, Auntie Herm-i-own-y."

"That she is. But she'll be big enough to play with soon enough. You'll see."

"Okay. If she doesn't get as big as she should, I'll make sure no mean kids pick on her for being little. I'm tough."

Hermione laughed at the bold statement.

"That's very sweet, baby girl. I'm sure neither of you will have any problems. Ginny, do you want to hold her?"

"Sure." Ginny carefully took the baby from Hermione's arms, long unused baby care skills returning as if Sam had been a baby only yesterday.

"She's gorgeous, Hermione. I'll bet she'll have Harry's eyes." The baby was asleep, but she had a head of very dark hair, it followed that she would also have Harry's eyes.

"That's what I'm saying. Harry doesn't agree with me. We'll see."

"Can I hold her too, Auntie Herm-i-own-y?" Samantha asked. Ginny handed the baby to Ron while Hermione nodded.

"Of course, you have to be very gentle though."

"I will. I don't want to break her." Samantha agreed.

"I think you should come over here to sit and hold her, okay." Ginny pointed at her recently abandoned chair. Sam hopped off the bed and jumped into the chair. When Ron finished admiring the baby he brought her over to the chair. Ginny positioned Sam's arms.

"Okay, you hold this arm like this, and Uncle Ron will put Tabitha right there on your elbow, and put this arm under here, like this."

"She's not very heavy." Sam mused.

"Well, she's still very little." Ginny said. "Be careful now, remember, you have to be gentle." 

"Yes, mummy."

The adults began talking to each other once again. All three of them kept one eye on Samantha and the baby, just in case anything happened, but she seemed to be lost in her own little world, telling whispered secrets to the baby, and hardly moving, in case she lost her grip on the pink bundle. Harry appeared soon after, carrying a muggle camera, set to take some pictures, and gleefully took some of Sam's conference with the baby.

Not long after, another familiar person made an appearance in the hospital room.

"Look, Mr. Draco. This is a new baby. She's been living in Auntie Herm-i-own-y's belly, because that's where she was made. She's very little, and she's not heavy, and I'm being very careful, because I don't want to break her. Auntie Herm-I-on-y says that she'll be bigger soon, but I told her that if she doesn't get big, I'll make sure no mean kids pick on her for being little." She told him proudly, all in one breath. Ginny smiled warmly at him as he stood next to the chair containing Sam and Tabitha. Harry and Ron were both giving him very shocked looks, but Hermione seemed non plussed. Ginny would have found that very odd if she had time to think about it. However, she didn't have that time.

"She's a very lovely new baby, Miss Samantha." Sam giggled. Ginny realized that she'd never known Sam's reasons for calling him Mr. Draco. But she recognized now that this must have started the night that he babysat for her. It seemed to be a little joke between them.

Now, Ginny was not an idiot. She knew that children often see things that most adults can't, but she was not aware that even just the two dates with Draco had made such a profound impression on her small daughter. However, she soon realized this when the most often quoted expression suddenly rang very true.

"Are you and my mummy going to make a new baby, Mr. Draco?"

The only thing that ran through her head was 'kids say the darndest things.'


	17. Chapter 17

Hey, two updates in as many days. I am on fire, man! Seriously, I think this is the first time I've ever had the next chapter ready to go within 24 hours of the last one.

I want to thank everybody who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are all the best people in the entire world right now. You can all thank yourselves for providing some inspiration for this chapter. And particularly to beckysue2, that is the best anecdote I've ever heard, your son sounds absolutely adorable. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: As always, I have no money. None at all. If I owned the characters I wouldn't have a care in the world, but since I have no money, that is just not possible.

Chapter 17 

Draco looked mildly stunned. She knew that she hardly looked any better. She could hear Hermione trying to contain giggles, and she heard Harry gasp, but whether it was in surprise or horror, she wasn't sure. She didn't even want to fathom looking at Ron, right now. He was probably turning purple.

If Sam was aware that she had probably just caused a nuclear meltdown, she didn't show it, she just went on looking innocently at Draco, patiently waiting for an answer. In a flash, Ginny decided not to bail him out. Sam had asked him the question, and if he was going to be around more often, he was going to have to get used to it. Sam, apparently, already had. She would deal with everyone else later.

It took him a moment, but he eventually realized that she was waiting for a response and he managed a tight smile, and seeming nonchalant at the same time.

"No, Miss Samantha, your mummy and I are not going to make a new baby." He told her, apologetically.

"Oh. That's okay." She sounded a little disappointed, but she brightened again. "I can play with Tabitha until you do."

Ginny wanted to crawl into a hole and die, but she wasn't going to. She was sure that her face was turning beet red, and that she was probably steps away from hyperventilating, but she was going to get a grip on herself. Hermione was still resisting giggles, and now it sounded like Harry had been amused, rather than horrified, because she could hear him restraining his laughter now as well. Ron was still silent, but she expected that. She pasted a smile on her face and turned around. Hermione had a hand covering her mouth and was trying very hard not to laugh and Harry had taken his glasses off to wipe at his watering eyes. She didn't look at Ron.

"Kids." She said stiffly. Hermione nodded, still stifling giggles. Draco moved away from the chair and handed Hermione the flowers that he'd brought in with him.

"Longbottom spilled the beans. I thought I'd come and congratulate you." He said, having recovered enough equilibrium to speak like a normal human being. Hermione took the flowers and smiled at him. Ginny watched, wondering how she'd managed to miss her best friends making peace with their childhood enemy.

"That's very sweet of you, Malfoy. You didn't have to, but it's very sweet."

Ginny must have been frowning because when Hermione looked at her again, she shrugged and gave her a look that said that all would be explained later. Ginny nodded at her, and turned her attention back to Draco, who was now holding out a hand Harry.

"Congratulations, Potter. Like I said, she's a lovely baby. My only hope is that she doesn't grow up to be like you."

To her great surprise, Harry laughed at that while he shook Draco's hand. Something had changed there. Something that she hadn't been around to see, and hadn't even occurred to her to ask about.

"You and me both, Malfoy. You and me both." Ginny was sure that her eyes were bugging out of her head by now, but she decided that remaining quiet would be best for the moment. She would ask about everything later, when it wasn't going to be so embarrassing.

"Do you want to hold her, Mr. Draco?" Sam piped up from the chair. He turned back to her and smiled.

"I don't think so, Miss Samantha. Your Uncle Ron looks like he's going to explode, so I think I'll leave before that happens."

Ginny finally looked at Ron, discovering that she had been right in assuming that he was turning purple. Malfoy had the distinct honour of being the only human being alive that Ron Weasley hated with every blood vessel in his body. Sam sent him a dark look.

"Uncle Ron, you're spoiling everything." She told him, earning a few more restrained giggles from Hermione. Ginny wasn't sure what was funny about that, but she reflected that the Healers probably had her on a couple of potions that might explain it. Draco raised an eyebrow at him and then strode to the door.

"Ginny? A word please?" He asked her as he passed. Mystified, she followed him out into the hallway. Once the door was closed, she finally got a grip on herself and poked him harshly in the chest.

"What are you DOING here? Do you have a death wish? Ron hates you! I don't what's going on with you and Harry and Hermione, but I do know that you're the one person in the world that Ron would happily strangle for no reason other than he happened to have nothing better to do." He was smirking at her, and her eyes narrowed as she fought the urge to slug him for it.

"Are you done? Good. First off, I know your brother hates me. That's why I show up every so often. I do it to annoy him. Second, didn't you know that Hermione worked for me up until she went off on maternity leave?"

"Come off it."

"She did. She showed up in my office one day and told me that I was doing everything wrong, and if I wanted the relief program to work, changes need to be made. I couldn't be bothered listening to every little detail, so I told her if she though she could set it all up better, then she was hired."

"You're not serious."

"Is it that unbelievable?"

"To me? Yes. You hated her in school. You hated Harry even more. I really can't see how you've all managed to become friends." Draco rolled his eyes.

"You know as well as I do that war changes people. It's hard to hate someone who's saved your life a couple of times. Look, you know that I'm not the elitist prat that I used to be. I wouldn't want to hang around in bar with them on a regular basis, but I don't hate them for being who they are anymore. There are aspects of their personalities that I find rather annoying, but I'm not holding it against them."

"That's big of you."

"As for your brother, he's always going to hate me for being me, so there isn't much point in trying to change his opinion. And bothering him is so much fun, wouldn't you agree?"

Ginny pursed her lips in an attempt not to smile, but it broke through anyway. She had at least one mystery explained, and he was right, most of the time, it was fun to try and get Ron mad, just to see what shade of purple he would turn. She shook her head in exasperation and finally smiled at him.

"All right. So you've accounted for yourself. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"This weekend, there's a Carnival coming to muggle London."

"Yes, I know. I've seen adverts all over the place for it. What about it?"

"Well, I've heard that places like that are veritable child magnets, with lots of opportunities to have the most fun and make the biggest messes possible. I've also heard that they are very popular amongst the young crowd for first dates. So I thought, why not combine the two ideas and take you and Sam out for the day. Do you get Saturday off?"

"You want to take both of us out?" 

"Well, of course. I knew when I started this that it was going to be a two for one deal. If I get you, then I get Sam too. I like Sam. I think she's a great kid, even if she does ask awkward questions. But I'm told that all children are in that habit…." He trailed off and gave her a look that she couldn't categorize. "Look, my point is, she's had you to herself for five years. She's used to having you. She's not going to like it if I just swoop in and take up all of your free time and not include her in anything. I want her to like me, not hate me for taking you away."

If they weren't standing in a public hallway with her vastly over-reactive brother on the other side of the door, she probably would have burst into years. Instead, she grabbed him by his sweater and yanked him downwards to kiss him, like she had at the dance. Since he was at least a head taller than she was, he was just going to have to get used to it.

"That's is the best thing I've ever heard in my life. And I'll tell you a secret, I think Sam already likes you."

"Well that's good. I still want to take you two to the Carnival. What do you say?"

"I can trade shifts with Mae. She won't mind, she likes working the Saturday crowd."

"Good. It's a date."


	18. Chapter 18

Another chapter! I had a fantastic day at work today, so I'm in a fantastic and inspired mood! Hurrah! Again, thanks to all reviewers, you guys are the best people in the entire world, I kid you not. No Carnival date yet, I wanted to throw this in first. Carnival will likely be next chapter.

Disclaimer: I may have had a great day at work today, but that doesn't mean that I can possibly afford a lawsuit, so please, I own nothing.

Chapter 18

Ron had not spoken to her about Sam's comment. In fact when she returned to the room after seeing Draco out of the hospital, he had returned to his normal colour and was conversing quite normally with Harry and Hermione. She wasn't sure what to make of that, but she decided that if he wasn't going to bring it up, she wasn't going to either.

She'd eventually managed to persuade Sam that it was time to let Tabitha and Aunt Hermione get some rest, and that they could come back the next day and see them again. Yawning, Sam had agreed, and as soon as Ginny had gotten her home, she fell asleep.

Now Ginny was left alone to ponder the new developments in her life. It was all a little too much to absorb at one time, really. In barely a week, she had re-entered the dating world once more, successfully this time, and had gotten her family back. Although she hadn't actually seen any of them except for Ron, she still felt the freedom of being able to see any of them when she wanted to.

It almost felt as if this was all happening too fast. Not that anything that had happened was particularly bad, but an influx of good things was almost as mind boggling. She had a real sense that she was actually moving on with her life now, instead of being stuck in the same place. It was a refreshing feeling, if a slightly scary one.

She definitely needed the change. As nice as her life was, it had been lacking certain things that would potentially make it better. She knew from experience that good things can come at the most unexpected times, and that life just isn't life without taking a few risks. It was time that she started taking risks again.

She got up off her sofa to make herself a cup of tea, and to floo Mae to ask about switching shifts for Saturday. At that precise moment, she heard two simultaneous pops of apparating wizards, and a second later found herself sandwiched between two overjoyed Weasley brothers.

"Hullo, Ginny!" Both Fred and George greeted her warmly as they squished her in a giant hug.

"Hello Fred. Hi George." She mumbled as best she could with her face pressed into Fred's sweater. They let her go and both somehow managed to hold her at arm's length to look at her.

"You're looking gorgeous, darling. Simply gorgeous. Love what you've done with your hair, it suits you." Fred told her. She hadn't done anything with her hair, and Fred knew that, but it made her smile anyway.

"Now, where is this delightful daughter of yours? We have five years of birthday and Christmas presents to shower her with, it'll probably take some time." George commented. She grinned.

"She'll love that. But she's napping right now. She doesn't nap much anymore, but if she doesn't wake up on her own, she gets mighty cranky."

"Well, it won't do to have a cranky kid, they're never any fun." Fred said.

"We'll catch up with you until she gets herself up then, any chance of a cup of tea?" George added. Ginny rolled her eyes. Some things did not change.

"Well, I was about to put the kettle on when I was suddenly squashed, so you're in luck." She told them, making her way into her kitchen as they made themselves comfortable on her sofa.

"Ginny! This sofa is wonderful! Where did you get it?" Fred crowed. 

"A garage sale." She called back.

"A what sale?" George asked.

"Garage sale. Muggle thing. They have them when they want to sell things they want to get rid of. Funny thing, they're very rarely actually held in a garage."

"How very intriguing. You'll have to tell Dad about them." Fred said.

"I will, Fred. I will."

Ginny reemerged from the kitchen with a large teapot and three mugs. Fred had propped his feet up on her coffee table and George was lounging with his legs dangling over the arm of the sofa. She sighed heavily.

"You two never change, do you. If Mum saw you now, she'd have kittens." She placed the pot on a coaster on the table and set the mugs down next to it. She swatted Fred's feet. "Feet off the table, honestly." He shot her a smug grin, but removed his feet. She pulled her wand out from her purse and pointed it at the teapot. A quick swish and flick and a muttered incantation and the pot was pouring the tea in the mugs. She aimed it at the kitchen and summoned the milk and sugar.

"You two can put your own milk and sugar in." She told them as she poured her milk in by hand. Characteristically, they both ladled the sugar into their tea with heaping spoonfuls then followed with just a hint of milk. For once, there was silence as they all sipped their tea for a moment.

"So, Gin-bug. We hear tell that you're involved with Malfoy." George said suddenly. Ginny spluttered, and almost dropped her tea, causing her brothers to erupt into laughter.

"That was priceless, I wish we'd had a camera, Gin, d'you think you can do that again for a camera?" She shot Fred a dark look.

"No. How did you hear about me and Malfoy?"

"Oh, Ronald likes to drop by and vent at us every time he has a run in with Malfoy. The only difference between this time and the last two million was that he was ranting about you dating him." George explained. Ginny giggled.

"He vents at you?" She asked. Fred nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah. He can't actually hex the man, see, since he's one of the good guys, and he never does anything to him. He also knows that getting into a verbal argument with him is just going to make him even angrier, so he's decided that venting his anger to us is more productive." He said.

"Which it is, incidentally, because some of the things he says make the best practical jokes in the world. We're actually thinking about starting a small toy line too, all modeled on Ron. Of course, he doesn't know about that. Yet." George added.

"Toys? Like, dolls or something?"

"Yeah. One's got a face that turns purple if you say the right spell, another's got a string you pull and he spits off the greatest insults. We have recordings of him actually saying the stuff too. We've got about three others in the planning stages." Fred told her, grinning wickedly. Ginny's giggles turned into howls of laughter.

"He's going to kill you, you know."

"Nah. We'll cut him in for a percentage of the profits on them. He won't mind too much. It's his fault anyway. So, Malfoy?" George brought the conversation back around to the original subject easily. Ginny stopped laughing and sighed.

"Yes. I am officially dating Draco Malfoy. What of it?" They both grinned at her knowingly.

"What?"

"So it's true then, he really has been hankering after you since Hogwarts." Fred said, draining his tea and pouring another cup. 

"What! I don't believe you. He just found me working in the diner he happened to stop in for food one night. Chance meeting."

"Chance meeting with a guy that you've hated since your school days, and now you're dating him. Doesn't something about that strike you as a little odd?" George asked. Ginny frowned.

"Well, maybe a little strange looking at it from the outside, but…."

"But nothing, Ginny. Something about you made Draco Malfoy fight for the good side, instead of following in his father's footsteps. I don't know whether it was that bat bogey hex in your fourth year, or what, but it sure worked. We wouldn't have won the war without him." George said.

"Bull. I still say it was a chance meeting."

"If that's what you want to believe, go nuts. But if ever you find yourself awake at night wondering, ask Hermione a couple of questions about it and see where it gets you."

Ginny suddenly flashed back to the cagey look Hermione had been giving her the previous night, was there something going on here that she wasn't aware of? It was certainly possible, given that she'd been so out of touch for so long. She knew that Hermione would never keep anything from her that could put her in a bad situation, but it was a little annoying that she might know something about her personal life that Ginny didn't know herself.

"Fine. If you're that certain about all this, then I will ask her. But only if I really need to."

"Suit yourself. So…why Malfoy?" George pressed.

"Because he's the first man I've dated who didn't run screaming for the door the minute he found out I had a five year old at home." 

"Really?"

"More or less. Actually, he seemed even more determined to date me after I told him about Sam. But he is really good with her. He babysat for her before he took me out on a date, actually. Mostly because I told him I'd go on a date if he watched her for me. He really is being very sweet."

"Aww…how touching." Fred teased.

"Shut up. He is. He's going to take us both to this Carnival thing on Saturday, because, in his words, if he gets me, he gets Sam too. He doesn't want her to hate him."  
Fred and George looked at each other.

"That is very noble, for a Malfoy." Fred said. George nodded.

"Well, Ginny, you have effectively shown that you are full capable of handling your own life, no matter what it throws at you. Nothing we can say is going to stop you from dating whomever you want, so we aren't going to say anything, except that if he needs to be pounded, then call us first, because we at least will leave him alive." He said. She smiled at them warmly.

"Thank you. That means more to me than you can possibly know."


	19. Chapter 19

Whew. Well, this sure has taken it's sweet time in getting beaten out of my brain. The key I think, in getting any of my work finished is to have something else to work on in the spaces of time where inspiration for the next stage is missing. That and more time to myself.

Anyway, having just finished Half Blood Prince (AAAAUUUGGHHH! WHEN DOES SEVEN COME OUT?) and watched the first movie again, I am suitably motivated to get moving on this story again. Hopefully inspiration will stick around long enough to finish it.

Disclaimer: Got nothing, claim nothing. I can't even claim anything on a tax form because it's too confusing to think about. Stupid government. I'm an artist, not a mathematician! A tip people, unless you love math, don't become your own business. It's nothing but a pain in the ass.

Chapter 19

"Mummy! Is time yet, is it time yet?" Sam bobbed up and down at Ginny's elbow while she tried to finish washing the breakfast dishes. Draco was supposed to be showing up soon to take them out to the Carnival, and the moment that she had been told about the weekend plans, Sam hadn't stopped chattering excitedly about it. She had been up at the crack of dawn that morning, traipsing in and out of Ginny's bedroom demanding opinions about what new outfit she should wear.

Ginny had been expecting Fred and George to shower Sam with an assortment of practical jokes that would keep her on her toes for the next three years, but they'd surprised her by only throwing in one or two joke things in the stuff they'd brought for Sam. Sam had, of course, been absolutely thrilled with her haul of new things, including amongst the toys, about four or five smart new play outfits.

Sam had finally settled on a pair of blue overalls that came with a lighter blue tee shirt and a matching hat, which she was now wearing perched on her head on a jaunty angle. It was being kept there by some spell that had been put on the hat, so that highly active small children wouldn't lose it. Ginny thought she looked very cute in it, but Sam insisted that she was looking 'stylish'. She'd been at the television remote again, Ginny could tell.

"Not yet, baby. When Draco gets here."

"Mr. Draco was s'posed to be here already."

"No he wasn't, Sam. He said Saturday morning. It's still morning, you just got up so early that it doesn't feel like morning anymore." She could feel Sam giving her a full Weasley glare, but she refused to turn around and acknowledge it, eventually she would give up and go play with her new toys. Or Draco would turn up, and she would be distracted.

Sure enough, a moment later, someone was knocking on the door. Sam spun around and launched herself at the door.

"Mr. Draco!" She shouted, Ginny sped after her to keep her from opening the door on her own, just in case. She caught her around the waist and hauled her away from the doorknob, while grabbing a hold of it herself.

"I have told you before about opening the door on your own, missy." She said, setting her down behind her before opening the door. It was Draco on the other side, but Ginny never took chances.

"It's Mr. Draco, Mummy." Sam told her, pouting. Ginny smiled at Draco and let him in. He wisely chose not to comment.

"Yes, it's Draco, but it might not have been. You know the rules Samantha, no opening the door without me."

"Yes, Mummy." She was still sulking, but she was looking expectantly at Draco now. "Is it time to go, Mr. Draco?" She asked. Ginny was still frowning, so he decided that maybe a better course of action would be to go through her, after all, he really didn't want Sam to think that she could get away with things by asking him.

"Only if your mummy says it is." He said. Ginny sent him an appreciative look, and he breathed an internal sigh of relief. A good decision. Sam looked back at Ginny.

"Are you going to stop pouting when I tell you not to do something?"

"Yes, Mummy." 

"Then it's time to go."

Sam cheered and ran around Draco in circles while Ginny gathered up her purse and a bag of stuff that she knew she was going to need at some point during the day for Sam.

"Mr. Draco, don't I look stylish? Uncle Fred and Uncle George gave this to me, isn't it nice? Are we going to go on rides, Mr. Draco? Uncle Fred and Uncle George gave me toys yesterday, but I can't bring any of them in case I lose them. Can we get cotton candy? Mary -Ann says that cotton candy is the best candy in the world."

Ginny stifled a giggle at the slightly overwhelmed look on his face as he tried to keep up with the barrage of questions. When Sam was excited, she was very hard to keep up with. She stopped the bouncing girl with a hand on her head.

"Breathe a little, Sam. And try and let Mr. Draco answer a question before you hit him with a new one." She said, grinning.

"Yes, Mummy. Can we go now, Mummy?"

"Yes, we can go now, munchkin."

Surprisingly, Draco had turned up to fetch them with a fancy muggle car, one that he seemed to know how to drive quite well, and that Sam was instantly thrilled with.

"Will you come and get me from day care in this sometime, Mr. Draco?" She asked excitedly, peering at the scenery as it whipped by. He sent Ginny a questioning look, but she only twitched her eyebrows at him.

"Maybe sometime." He answered. Ginny half smiled at him, and nodded.

"I must admit that I'm surprised you own one of these flashy Muggle cars, Draco. I didn't think they were really your style." She said, grinning at him. He chuckled.

"It looked nice in the showroom."

Ginny laughed heartily as they pulled up to the Carnival parking lot.

"Mummy! Mummy look at all the people! Can we go on that ride first! Can we get some cotton candy? Look Mummy! There's a clown, Mummy!"

The excited babble continued relentlessly as Samantha grabbed onto on of her hands and one of Draco's hands and started dragging them off towards the entrance.

"You realize that you've created a Frankenstein." She told Draco, as she reigned the girl in long enough for Draco to pay for their admission. He grinned at her.

"Is it really so bad? She'll be occupied for the rest of the day, and she'll sleep really well tonight." Sam grabbed both their hands again and started off toward one of the roller coasters.

"And when she asks tomorrow to go again, you're assuming all responsibility?"

"Naturally."

"It's a deal."

Draco leaned over and planted his lips on Ginny's for a brief moment, before Sam sped up again.


	20. Chapter 20

Ah ha! I know I could keep inspiration around for a little longer this time around. Thanks to all those who've reviewed, I love you forever!

Disclaimer: Got nothing.

Chapter 20

It was well past Sam's bedtime when Ginny turned the key in her lock and pushed the door open with difficulty. She was laden with bags and bags of assorted goodies, leftover cotton candy, souvenir hats, t-shirts and backpacks, not to mention the variety of stuffed animals that they had won at various games. Draco had made it his mission to win something for both of them at every game that Sam had taken a shine to. She'd won her own fair share of prizes herself, and she was exceptionally proud of that fact.

They had stayed, at Sams' insistence, long enough to see the fireworks that the posters had advertised as being part of their opening weekend festivities. Afterward, she had promptly fallen asleep on Draco's shoulder, and hadn't stirred since.

He followed Ginny into the apartment, carrying the slumbering five year old in his arms, her face still pressed into his shoulder, and her proclaimed favourite prize, a large floppy dog, hanging from her elbow. Ginny dropped all the paraphernalia that she was carrying and moved to Sam's bedroom to turn down the bedclothes, and remove the scattered toys that she'd been playing with earlier in the day from the mattress. Draco laid her down on the bed, and Ginny removed her shoes, socks and her jaunty little hat from her head before pulling the covers up to her chin and kissing her forehead.

Once back in the living room, they both collapsed on her sofa and sighed heavily.

"I told you she'd sleep tonight." Draco eventually said. Ginny giggled and dropped her head onto his shoulder, where Sam's had been not too long ago.

"Yeah, but if she demands to go again tomorrow, it's still your problem."

"I think I might be able to dissuade her. I never imagined that a day at a Carnival would be so exhausting."

"Wait until you've been around for Christmas. You think this is bad, you ain't seen nothing yet."

He shifted against her a bit, then leaned his head against hers.

"Why, Miss Weasley, are you inviting me to spend Christmas with you?"

"That's five months away, Mr. Malfoy." She responded.

"Doesn't matter, if you are, then you're implying that you believe that this is more than a fling."

"Does that bother you?"

"On the contrary, it makes me very happy."

"Good. Because this'll be the first time in five years that I can go home for Christmas, as much as I love my family, I think I'll be able to handle it better if you're there with me."

"I'd be delighted. It'll certainly make life interesting though, won't it? Being that your brother hates my guts."

"Tough beans. He'll either have to get used to it, or else settle for giving Fred and George more toy ideas." Draco chuckled.

"Sorry? What was that about toys?"

"Oh, I don't suppose I've told you. Ron likes to go rant about you to Fred and George. They're using him as inspiration for a line of dolls that issue strings of curses, turn purple, that sort of thing. I wouldn't put it past them to make one that explodes."

Draco burst out laughing, much like Ginny had done when the twins had told her about it.

"He'll kill them."

"That's what I said." She said, yawning.

"I should go, you need to sleep."

"If you move, I'll have to hit you. I'm far too comfortable right now." She warned him sleepily.

"Well, when you put it that way." He conceded. "Do you mind if I just reach for a blanket?" He asked. She shook her head, and he moved around a little in order to pull the blanket she kept on the back of the couch over them.

"Draco?" She asked drowsily.

"Hm?"

"Why did you pick me?"

"Pick you for what?"

"For all this. Fred and George said that you've been 'hankering' after me since Hogwarts. Why? You used to hate me."

"I never hated you."

"You did."

"I didn't. I just didn't know how to like you." She thought about this as best she could in her exhaustion.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does. I didn't know how to do anything but dislike people. Growing up in my father's house will do that to a person."

"What changed?"

"I don't know. But I think it all started with a bat-bogey hex."

Ginny giggled.

"You deserved that you know. You were being a really big git."

"I won't deny that. I don't really know what it was that made me change, Ginny. I wish I could give you a better answer. I'm just glad I did."

"Hm. I'm glad you did too."


	21. Chapter 21

And I am on a roll. Woo hoo for me.

Disclaimer: Got nothing.

Chapter 21

"Mae, where are you? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago." Ginny exclaimed into the phone, while re-writing an order out on a fresh piece of paper, the previous piece having been ruined by a flying globule of barbeque sauce. The fire-prone sous chef had been replaced by a man who had a habit of flinging out his arms when he finished assembling a meal. Joseph kept throwing him dark looks out of the corner of his eye, Ginny could see him trying to figure out how to justify getting rid of a second new-hire in less than two weeks.

"I'm sorry, Gin-girl, something's happened back home and I've been called in to help. One of my sister's is ill I think."

"I hope it's not serious."

"I don't know yet. I shouldn't be gone any more than a week, are you going to be alright there for a week by yourself?"

"I'll manage."

"What about Sammy?"

"I have a plethora of available babysitters now, Mae, she won't be lacking in any attention."

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that."

"Go on, take care of your family. We'll still be here when you get back. I've got to run, busy lunch crowd." Ginny said, waving her order at Joseph, trying to get him to stop glowering at the new sous-chef.

"Tell Joseph not to fire the new guy until I get back, you know how I love to watch him do it."

"I will, see you in a week." She hung the phone, then stomped over to Joseph and waved the paper under his nose.

"Quit trying to intimidate the help and start paying attention to orders. And don't fire him until Mae gets back, she wants to see the show." She said, then turned and headed out of the kitchen, picking up three plates on her way.

When she turned around to head back to the kitchen, she found someone standing in her way.

"Hey!" She cried as she stumbled backwards. The person in question caught her elbow and kept her upright. She frowned at him. "Draco, you have got to stop doing that. Next time I'll actually do someone an injury."

"Sorry. I just popped in to see if you were free for lunch."

"No, not today, Mae's got a family emergency, I'm stuck by myself today. I'll be lucky if I get five minutes to eat a yoghurt." She said, navigating around him, and retreating to the kitchen. He followed her.

"Okay, what about dinner?" She smiled.

"We'll see. I'm actually glad you're here, since it's unlikely that we'll be able to get one of the other girls in to take over Mae's normal shift, I'll probably be running a little late today, could you possibly make my daughter exceptionally happy and collect her from daycare in your fancy car?" She asked, sending him a pleading look as she collected another three plates and headed back out to the tables. He followed.

"Sure, no problem, what would you like me to do with her until you're done?"

She set the plates down on their appropriate tables and then turned to face him again.

"I don't know, use your imagination."

"Ginny…" He started to whine.

"Draco…" She mocked him back. "Please, it would mean a lot to me. I'll only be a couple of hours longer than usual, and you know how much Sam loves you. It won't take much to entertain her. All you need to do is go back to my place and stick a movie in the video player."

"Can I take her to my house?" Startled, Ginny stared at him. She really didn't have the time to complain about it though.

"Fine, just don't do anything dangerous." She told him, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly, before turning away and heading for a table that hadn't been served yet.

It was occupied by a little old muggle lady who was a lunch time regular.

"Hello Mrs. Bixby, how are you doing today?" She asked, genially and Mrs. Bixby smiled warmly up at her.

"I'm doing just fine, my dear. I see you're doing quite well." She said, offering Ginny a wink and nodding at Draco's retreating back. Ginny blushed and grinned.

"It's a very new relationship, Mrs. Bixby." She said, looking at her feet. "The usual today, or would you like to try something else this time around?"

"Ah, the relationship may be new, my dear, but you have known each other for some time, yes?"

"Well…yes, I guess you could say that. We haven't always been friends though, if that's what you mean."

"Oh, even better, my dear, even better. My darling husband and I weren't friends before we fell in love, you know, and we were married for over sixty years. He's very good for you, my dear, I can tell. And it will be good for your girl to have someone else to rely upon."

"Thank you Mrs. Bixby. Sam loves him, and he may only admit to liking her, but he loves her too." The elderly lady was still smiling at her.

"He loves you too, you know." She told her, knowingly. Ginny laughed.

"Mrs. Bixby, really. We've only been together for a couple of weeks. It's a little too soon for that."

"But he does. I would say that he's been in love with you for some time, if the look in his eyes when he watches you is anything to go by. Which, by the way, it is. Do you love him?"

Very uncomfortable now, Ginny cleared her throat and set her pencil against her notepad again.

"The usual, Mrs. Bixby?" Mrs. Bixby frowned at her, but nodded.

"Yes, my dear, the usual. Too early in the week to be trying something new."

"Oh, Mrs. Bixby, it's never too early to try something new." One of Mrs. Bixby's eyebrows arched at her.

"That is quite true. I suppose sometimes it's necessary to hide behind old habits, but you're quite right, trying something out never hurt anyone." She was giving Ginny a piercing stare, letting Ginny know quite plainly that she wasn't talking about her usual lunch order. Ginny nodded, understanding completely.

"Sometimes, you have to build up to making a big change. I like to start with little changes." She said. Mrs. Bixby nodded.

"He's waited a while for you, my dear. He'll keep waiting until you're ready. I think I shall have a garden salad with my sandwich today, instead of a Ceasar."

"An excellent choice, Mrs. Bixby."

"I agree."

Ginny grinned again and then headed to the kitchen, feeling somehow considerably better than she had all day.


	22. Chapter 22

I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I can't think of anything to make it better, and since I've started writing the next chapters, it's going to have to stay this way.

I have to admit that I was surprised that so many people loved Mrs. Bixby from the last chapter. You have inspired me to bring her back at some future point. When? Dunno. She'll probably write herself in when she feels like it, characters have that habit.

Disclaimer: Got nothing.

Chapter 22

She knew that Draco was still living in the great Malfoy Manor. She knew that he'd made several modifications to the place since his father's death, and she knew that the house was as harmless as her own now, but she still couldn't help the shiver that went up her spine when she looked at the place. From the outside, in the dim evening light, it still looked as foreboding as it had in all the photographs that she'd seen of the place, it looked like a remnant of the Gothic era, tall spires and stained glass windows. It vaguely reminded her of the haunted house at the beginning of that cartoon Sam liked to watch about the big mystery solving dog.

She shook her head, readjusted the shoulder strap of her purse, and pushed open the iron gate, making her way up the winding lane toward the huge main door. She had Apparated as close as she could get to the big house, and judging from the fact that she had landed right outside the grounds, he must have some pretty strong wards up around the place, just like she had around hers.

The door was twice as tall as she was. It looked as if it had been carved right out of a tree as is. There was a stained glass inset window in the door that depicted something that she'd rather not think about to hard. Draco had mentioned that he was still in the remodeling stages.

She banged on the door ineffectually, and then pulled out her wand. She transfigured a portion of the door that formed a loop into a heavy door knocker, then used her wand to lift and drop it against the door. A short, rather pinched looking man wearing a set of black robes opened the door and somehow managed to look down his nose at her.

"Can I help you?" He said. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, I'm here to collect my daughter."

"Your daughter, miss?"

"Yes, my daughter. Draco collected her from daycare and brought her here."

"Lord Malfoy, miss? Collected a child from daycare?" The way he said daycare, she almost believed it was a disease.

"Look, Jeeves, I'm not in the mood for games, I've had a long day and I want to go home, so I'd appreciate it if you would just show me where Draco and Sam are, and I'll get out of your hair." She said.

"Oh, you are inquiring after Miss Samantha. This way, miss."

Ginny rolled her eyes, and followed the stuffy little man into the house. He led her through a foyer, a large dining room and a living room that looked like they hadn't been touched in years, all the way to the other side of the house. He finally stopped at a door that looked a little weathered. He opened it and gestured Ginny inside.

"There is a visitor here to see Miss Samantha, sir and madam."

"Mummy!"

Sam attached herself to Ginny's waist and grinned up at her.

"We're having tea, it's really fancy. Gramma Malfoy is letting me drink from one of her special tea-cups, and I'm being really careful mummy, I really am! Can I stay and finish tea, Mummy?" She babbled. Ginny's eyes adjusted to the light in the room, and she could see that it was a tastefully decorated sitting room, containing several chairs, a couple of tables, one of which held a tray with teacups, teapot and biscuits. Two of the chairs were occupied, the first by Draco, who smiled widely at her, and the second by a dignified blonde woman who Ginny knew had to be Narcissa Malfoy. She was giving Ginny a once over, but there didn't seem to be any judgment in her gaze, she was just interested.

"You are quite welcome to join us, Miss Weasley." She said, indicating a vacant chair. "There's plenty of room." Sam grabbed her by the hand and hauled her over to the chair closest to Draco.

"Sit, Mummy. I'll get your tea, Gramma Malfoy taught me a spell." Ginny arched an eyebrow, and catching the look, Mrs. Malfoy hurried to explain.

"Draco did warn me that you might not approve of me teaching her spells while she's underage, but it's only a simple one, and she's under strict instructions that she's only to use it here." She said. Ginny smiled, the fact that the woman wanted to teach Sam anything was amazing enough, she wasn't going to stand in the way of that.

"It's alright, she enjoys having special things to do when she visits other places. She knows well enough to do what she's told."

"Watch Mummy!" Samantha exclaimed. She pointed a wand, apparently borrowed, at the tea set and muttered an incantation that Ginny herself used to pour tea at her own home. The teapot obediently lifted and poured the tea into an empty teacup, then Sam pointed the wand at the creamer, lifting it and pouring a small amount into the tea. Then she let the two dishes sit, and picked up the teacup.

"Here, Mummy. Did you see?"

"I saw, baby. It was very good, and Gramma Malfoy taught you that today?" Sam nodded vigorously. "You really are a fast learner, aren't you? Hogwarts will be in trouble in a few years." She said, smiling and sipping her tea. Sam hopped up into one of the other vacant chairs and picked up her abandoned cup of tea. Ginny sighed happily into her own cup of tea.

"Oh, that's fantastic. Is that homemade, or can I buy that somewhere?" She asked, indicating her tea, and taking another sip. Mrs. Malfoy looked suitably pleased.

"It's a family recipe, I've been sworn to secrecy until my deathbed. If you like I can have Parker package some up for you take home with you."

"Would you really? That would be lovely, it's probably the best tea I've had in a long time. I've been looking for a good tea to relax with."

"Wonderful. Parker, have a package of my tea made up for Miss Weasley to take home."

"Yes, m'lady." Parker, the little man that had shown Ginny in answered and turned on his heel to leave the room. Ginny watched him go with a distantly amused expression on her face, and when she threw a questioning glance at Draco, he shrugged.

"Now then." Narcissa Malfoy said archly. "You look as if you could use something a little more substantial than just tea, my dear. Would you like to join us for supper?" Sam's eyes lit up and she bounced in her chair.

"Please, can we, Mummy? I visited the kitchen and everything smells so good." She pleaded. Ginny considered it for a moment, as much as she didn't want to intrude on Mrs. Malfoy's hospitality, she really did not feel like cooking.

"We don't want to be any bother."

"Nonsense, we'd love to have you, wouldn't we Draco dear?"

"Yes, Mother." Ginny almost spit out her mouthful of tea at the faces he was making. They were a combination of being gagged, being hung and eating something so foul that your face stayed screwed up in knots for ten minutes. She had no idea why he was making faces at her without his mother knowing, but he was doing a good job of rattling her composure. Narcissa looked happier than Ginny had ever seen her, and she stood up from her chair moments after Draco had agreed with her.

"Excellent, I'll just go and make sure that everything is prepared, and we'll have supper. Would you care to accompany me, Samantha?" Sam put her cup down and jumped to her feet.

"Yes, please." She said. Narcissa held out a hand, and Samantha took it eagerly. They left the room together, Samantha continuing to detail how wonderful everything smelled. As soon as the door closed, Ginny looked at Draco and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Faces, Draco?"

"I was trying to tell you how bloody awful supper has a habit of being."

"Well, it was nice of your mother to ask, and as much as I would like to say I'd feel like a heel for not accepting, the sad truth is I don't have the energy to cook tonight. It can't be that bad, surely."

"Well, perhaps not with Sam occupying her attention."

"By the way, 'Gramma' Malfoy? Where did that come from?"

"It wasn't me, or Mother. Sam started that one all on her own. Mother was getting the tea set out to show her the spell when she just all of a sudden up and asks 'Can I call you Gramma?'" I nearly tripped over a chair. What really surprised me was Mother actually letting her do it."

"Your mum have a thing about being called on her age, or something?"

"No, it's just that she generally doesn't like to be referred to as anything that's not refined. I expected her to ask that she be called 'Grandmother' Malfoy."

Ginny shook her head.

"People change, as you know well enough. Is that why you brought Sam here? To meet your mother?"

"Sort of, yeah. I also wanted to see what she thought of this old house too."

"Oh yeah? And what does she think?"

"She thinks it's fab."

"Fab? What, are you tripping back to the sixties now?"

"Her words, Ginny, I swear. She must have heard it somewhere."

"Hermione must be letting her watch that Deja View channel when she goes to visit, again. The last time that happened she wandered around calling everyone 'Pussycat' for a week."

"She's quite a kid."

"You better believe it. So, what does your mother think of her?"

"She's never voluntarily offered to teach anyone but me any spells before. She's also never let any of her tea leave the premises before. I'd say that your kid has made quite an impression on her."

"Should I be pleased?"

"Definitely. Now then, you are probably going to need something a little more….uhmm…"

"Clean." Ginny supplied, picking at the diner uniform she was still wearing.

"Well, I wasn't going to say it. Come on, there's bound to be something in this house that will fit you."

"You don't have to, I'll just summon some clothes from home."

"No, come on. I want to go exploring."

"Just how old are you?"

"Not old enough, let's go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her chair, leading her, giggling out the door and into the rest of the manor.


	23. Chapter 23

Aha! Again with the two chappies in one night. Don't know when this is going to happen again, so enjoy it while it's here.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Got nothing.

Chapter 23

They weren't eating in the giant dining room that Ginny had seen on her way in. Instead they were eating in a smaller dining room just off the kitchen, it was just as dignified, but it was also a lot cozier. The table was long enough that there was a decent amount of space between the diners, and not so long as to make passing the salt a marathon.

Narcissa and Draco sat on either end of the table, and Narcissa had seated Sam closer to her end of the table, while seating Ginny closer to Draco's end, allowing them to have their own conversations. Narcissa appeared to be instructing Sam on how to use every utensil in a proper supper, and enjoying every minute of it.

Ginny, quite comfortable in a set of vintage robes that Draco had found lurking in the back of a closet in a room on the third floor, was also enjoying watching the two have little tète à tètes over knives and forks.

"Well now, this isn't so bad, is it Draco?" Ginny asked him as she finished her roast beef.

"It's much more pleasant than Mother either ignoring me or trying to have a normal conversation. We should have you two over more often."

"Somehow, I don't think either of them would mind that too much."

Desert arrived, and Sam exclaimed over the amount of chocolate in the lavish cake. She then proceeded to make a mess of it, trying to eat as much of it as she could.

Ginny was trying, unsuccessfully, to contain giggles at the chocolate mess her daughter was becoming, but it proved far too difficult. Draco joined in, chuckling heartily at the way that she attacked the desert, and even Narcissa looked vastly amused, though she managed to contain it to a smile.

When Sam proudly proclaimed that she was done, Ginny shook her head in amusement, then rounded the table and crouched down beside her chair.

"Come here you, give me your face. You and chocolate certainly are an explosive combination." Ginny used her napkin to wipe Sam's face off, then kissed her forehead. As she stood up again, she caught sight of an expression on Narcissa's face that she never would have thought to see there. She was smiling gently, looking quite nostalgic. Ginny guessed that she probably missed looking after Draco like this, she knew that her own mother often missed taking care of her children, although now that there were grandchildren, she didn't miss it so much.

It wasn't long into the after supper tea that Ginny caught sight of Sam trying to hide a yawn.

"Oh dear. Sorry to eat and run, but missy over there is fading fast. I should get her home and into bed." She said to both Draco and Narcissa, standing up. Draco stood as well.

"I'll take you two home."

"Thank you, but it's not necessary, it'll be faster to Apparate."

"It's no trouble. I'll feel better about it."

"Well, alright, you've twisted my arm. I'll just change out of these robes, could you get her ready please, since I'm guessing you know where to find her jacket and backpack?" She asked as they headed out to the main hall.

"No problem."

Ginny headed for the bathroom she'd left her uniform in, leaving the other three in the hallway. On her way back, however, she found Narcissa Malfoy waiting for her outside the bathroom door.

"Oh, Mrs. Malfoy. Sorry, I wasn't expecting to find you out here."

"It's alright. You don't have to return the robes, if you like them. They haven't fit me for years, and they suit you quite well."

"Oh…well, thank you very much, they are quite nice. Are you sure?"

"Yes, quite. I have a request to make of you, Miss Weasley."

"Ginny, please. What can I do for you, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"If I'm to call you Ginny, then you shall call me Narcissa. It's about Samantha."

"What about her?"

"She tells me that you periodically need to leave her in the care of other people, due to time conflicts with your job."

"Daycare, yes. I wish I didn't have to, but at least it's only for a couple of hours, a couple days a week." Ginny said, as she folded the robes up and draped them over her arm.

"You pay for this daycare, yes?" Ginny frowned, not sure where this was going.

"Yes. fifteen pounds an hour. It's a muggle facility."

"Perhaps I might be able to save you some of your hard earned money."

"I'm sorry?"

"If you are willing, I'd be perfectly happy to watch Samantha for you when you are working."

Ginny blinked rapidly, completely floored.

"You're… you're not serious, I mean you barely know her, I can't ask you to take care of her just like that, I…"

"You're not asking me, I'm asking you. Miss, er, Ginny, I'll be frank with you. I've got practically every comfort here in this house. I've never worked a day in my life, and I will admit to being quite content with that. Draco is a dear, he really does try and keep me happy, but there's only so much of an old woman that he can handle. I know that I bore him, but he'll never admit it, not to me at least. In any case, he's not always here, and well…Parker is less than stimulating company, as I'm sure you may have guessed. I'm lonely, and Draco bringing your little girl here for a visit was exactly what I needed. I'd like to see a little more of her." Narcissa explained. Ginny blinked at her again. It took her a moment to recover her voice, but when she did, she still wasn't sure what she should say the older woman.

"Um. Well, I have to admit that you taken me rather by surprise. I suppose it would be alright, I'm sure Sam would love it, but I think I need to consider this for a bit, talk to Sam a little."

"Oh, that's quite alright, I understand. Think on it, and let me know. Now then, you must be getting that little girl into her bed, and I'm keeping you. I'll say goodnight, and we'll talk again." Narcissa told her, smiling grandly but warmly at her and offering a hand. Ginny took it, only slightly hesitantly, and shook it. Then Narcissa turned and began to lead the way back to the main hallway.


	24. Chapter 24

Okay, so once again, I've proven to be very bad at updating. The muse abandoned me to my own devices, I have about a million half finished stories, and not a single idea for any of them. It's a very bad situation, but I'm working on it.

To walkin-on-cloud-9, I'm so sorry, I meant to respond to your wonderful review much earlier, however my life (and the small problem of having to recover from a motorcycle accident) has prevented me from doing so. But, I can honestly say that it was your review that got me working on this again (no matter how slowly). I tell you what, you keep reading, and I'll keep writing, and if I need help with anything, you'll be the first I turn to. Thanks so much! On with the story. (Maybe I'll actually finish this before I die.)

Disclaimer: Got nothing. Not even a job anymore, darn it.

Chapter 24

"You're kidding. Narcissa Malfoy wants to babysit Sam?" Hermione stared wide eyed at Ginny over the top of her mug of tea. Ginny nodded her head.

"She offered to watch her the couple of hours during the day when I'm still at work, when Sam isn't in kindergarten." "I can't believe it. It just doesn't seem like something she would want to do." "I know! But, I guess she's really lonely. All of her friends are either dead, or in Azkaban. Her husband is dead, and her son is only around some of the time. It makes sense that she'd want a little companionship. Even if it is in miniature form." Ginny said, finishing her tea. "Fancy a top-up?" She asked the other woman, pointing at her mug as she rose from the kitchen table. "Love one." Ginny stuck her head in the living room as she went by the door, just to make sure that Sam was still sitting in front of the TV and not trying to play with the baby again.

"I'm watching cartoons, Mummy." Sam said without turning around. "Good girl." Ginny continued on to the kettle and put it on again.

"What did you tell her?" Hermione asked when she returned to the table.

"I said I had to think about it. I really don't want to impose on her, but she just seemed so desperate for some form of human contact."

"Don't they have a butler?"

"If that man is human, I'm resigning from the species." Ginny said, and the two women took a moment to giggle.

"I just can't believe that after one visit, she'd want to take on even that much of a responsibility." Hermione mused. Ginny shrugged.

"Sam has that effect on people."

"Yeah, but this is Narcissa Malfoy, Ginny. There are only two things known about the elder Malfoys. One is that Lucius Malfoy was an accomplished Death Eater. The other is that his wife is as cold as he was evil." Ginny shot Hermione a look across the table.

"Yeah, but then we also 'knew' that Draco was as bad as the rest of the clan, right? See how that one turned out." She said. Hermione smiled.

"Well, nothing's perfect."

"I just don't know. On the one hand, it would be nice to save a little bit of money up for when Sam goes to Hogwarts. At least with the Muggle school system I don't have to pay for her schooling unless I put her in a private school. And having a little extra during the week won't hurt. I think I'll have to ask Sam what she thinks of the idea"

"That sounds like a good idea." The two women were silent for a moment, listening to the cartoon rabbit declare war on his adversary in the other room. "Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did Fred and George tell me to talk to you about Draco's history?" Hermione's brow furrowed deeply, and for a moment, Ginny almost pitied whichever twin she got her hands on first. Almost.

"They had to open their big mouths, didn't they?" She growled. Ginny smirked, but only for a moment.

"Hermione, I know that there's something that you haven't told me, I didn't press before because it didn't really matter, but there's more at stake now, and I don't want to be surprised by whatever it is when it comes out."

"It's nothing horrendous, Ginny. Your brothers have this very annoying habit of making mountains out of mole hills"

"They said he's been after me since Hogwarts. Now, I know that he can't have actually been chasing me, because I would have noticed that. And then there's the fact that both you and Harry are on good terms with him"

"Well, I do work for him"

"Yes, I know, he told me." Hermione gave a deep sigh and stared into the bottom of her mug for a moment.

"Alright. Let's have that cup of tea, and I'll tell you what I know." Once their mugs were full to the brim again, Hermione launched into the tale.

"You know that Malfoy joined our side of the war not long after open battle started. Nobody asked why, we were just glad that we had another wand fighting on our side. This was of course, after we had made absolutely sure that he wasn't a spy. I think after you attacked him in your fourth year, he had you pegged as a warrior, and he asked about you one night, maybe three nights after he'd arrived at our camp..."

_"Hey, Granger?" Hermione looked up from her bowl of soup and stared in surprise at Malfoy standing next to her. She swallowed and frowned at him, prepared for anything he might want to dish out.  
_

_"You want something, Malfoy?" "_

_Where's the other Weasley?" Hermione stared hard at him. Why was Malfoy asking about a Weasley? _

_"What other Weasley are you talking about, Malfoy. There are several"  
_

_"The little one. The sister." _

_"She has a name, Malfoy." He glowered at her, and she realized that he was trying to avoid making this sound like a personal interest by not using her name.  
_

_"Fine, where's Ginny Weasley?" _

_"She's not here." _

_"__I can see that for myself. I'd like to know what's happened to her, if you don't mind"  
Hermione wasn't quite sure what he was seeing in her face, but all of a sudden he dropped onto the log she was sitting on next to her, looking utterly defeated.  
_

_"She's not..."  
_

_"No, she's not dead. She's been detailed to the Healer's ward at Hogwarts"  
_

_"She's at Hogwarts? Why wouldn't she be here? I thought she was a fighter." _

_"She is a fighter. If Hogwarts was attacked, she'll be one of it's best defenders. She's also a damn good Healer, and we need those more than anything." _

_"Really"  
_

_"Why are you so concerned, Malfoy? You've never looked twice at her before, save to make fun of her when we were twelve." _

_"People change, Granger." He got up, and walked away, apparently satisfied at the moment._

"Okay, so he wanted to know where I was, how is that significant? A lot of people were surprised I wasn't out there blazing away like my brothers." Ginny shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

"It's not what he said, it's how he looked when he said it. He looked devastated when he thought you were dead for that moment. I've never seen a human being look like that, not during or even after the war, and especially not when there was no obvious reason for him to look that way"  
Ginny frowned and shook her head.

"The way Fred and George tell it, you'd be inclined to believe that something absolutely gripping with excitment had happened." "Well...that was only the first thing that struck me as a bit weird." Hermione admitted. Ginny put her teacup down.

"You're holding out on me, Hermione. That's not like you." She said.

"Hey, just because your brothers never know when to shut up doesn't mean that I can't keep my peace." Hermione protested, smirking at her. Ginny tossed half a biscuit at her.

"Oh, stop it. Now I'm dying of curiosity."

"I can't tell you all of what happened, Gin. Some of it is going to have to come from Malfoy himself." Hermione told her seriously. Ginny nodded.

"That's fine. Just tell me what you can so I don't go and throttle my brothers for getting me all worked up."

"Well, I made the mistake of mentioning the conversation to Harry while Ron was in earshot. You know how much Ron hates Malfoy." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I know."

"Anyway, so the next thing I know, Harry's having to pull Ron off of Malfoy's back and Ron's spitting nearly incomprehensible insults at him. Malfoy let me help him get to his feet, something I thought was most unlike him, and the last thing that Ron spat at him before he broke out of Harry's grip was 'My sister's had enough Malfoys meddling with her life already, you stay away from her, you arrogant bastard'. Then he stalked off over to the tents to fume in peace."

Ginny's eyebrows rose as she regarded Hermione over the rim of her teacup.

"I'm sensing there's more." She said. Hermione put her cup down and nodded.

"Practically the moment Ron was out of earshot, Malfoy turned to me and demanded to know what the hell Ron was talking about. Harry and I explained what had happened to you in your first year. We'd assumed he'd known about his father dropping the diary into your cauldron, but he must not have, because when we were finished, he looked like he wanted to throw up. Then he just looked angry, like he wanted to go and hex something"

Ginny had leaned forward in her seat without realizing it.

"Did he say anything?" Hermione shook her head.

"He thanked us for telling him, and that he was sorry it happened. Then he walked away. Harry and I were quite stunned, I dare say. After all, Malfoy never apologizes." Hermione stopped talking.

There was more to the story, Ginny could tell, but it appeared that Hermione had said all that she was going to on the subject.

"There's obviously more to this tale than you're telling me. But when the time's right, I'll ask Draco about it." Ginny said. Hermione smiled.

"You do that. And when he tells you, I want you to tell him from me that it took him long enough." Hermione said. Ginny puzzled over the statement for a moment, but decided it wasn't worth asking about. Instead, she changed the subject.

"So. How sick are you of changing nappies?"


	25. Chapter 25

Hah! I'm beating the writer's block!

Kudos go to walkin-on-cloud-9 for the basic idea of this chapter, I just took the suggestion and ran with it, and to all who enjoyed Mrs. Bixby, she's back!

Disclaimer: Got nothing.

Chapter 25.

Today was the last day that Sam would be going to daycare. Ginny wasn't nervous yet. She would start getting nervous on Monday before she dropped Sam off at Malfoy Manor to spend the entire day with 'Gramma' Malfoy. Sam was excited. She'd already bragged to everyone at daycare and her entire kindergarten class that she didn't have to go to daycare anymore, because Gramma Malfoy was going to play with her after school now. No one knew who the Malfoys were, of course. But after Sam described the house to everyone who would listen, they were all suitably impressed.

They were going out for dinner that night, the three of them, so Draco was collecting Sam from daycare and then getting Ginny from work early so they both could get changed at home before they headed out to a restaurant that Draco was resolutely refusing to tell her the name of. Apparently they were also meeting his mother there, they were celebrating something, but he wasn't telling her what until dinner.

"Are you alright, dear? You look a little bit distracted." Mrs. Bixby asked her, touching her lightly on the arm. Ginny jerked out of her reverie and smiled down at her.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Bixby, you're right, I am a little distracted."

"Thinking of your young man?"

Ginny blushed, and stared intently at her notepad. Mrs Bixby laughed girlishly.

"Not to worry, dear. I don't mind. You remind me a lot of my husband and myself when we were young. He distracted me quite a bit, don't you know."

"Well, maybe we'll be as happy as you and your husband have been. Time will tell."

"I'm sure you will, dear. You're seeing him tonight, I take it?"

"Yes. He's taking Sam and I out for dinner with his mother. We're celebrating something, but he hasn't told me what it is yet."

"How exciting!"

"Oh yes. And somewhat vexing, I assure you. Now then, would you like your usual today, Mrs. Bixby?"

"Hm. Actually, I think I'll have something a little different. I think I'll have a tuna salad sandwich instead of a turkey sandwich."

"Excellent choice, Mrs. Bixby."

"Yes, I thought it was definitely time for something new."

"I couldn't agree more. I'll have your lunch for you in a just a couple of minutes, you're in luck today, Mrs. Bixby, we've got a quiet crowd."

"I should rather say that you're in luck, my dear." The elderly lady said, nodding at the door. Ginny turned around and smiled. Draco had just come in, holding Samantha by the hand and looking slightly...well, discomfited wasn't exactly the word, but he didn't look his normal self. Ginny dropped Mrs. Bixby's sandwich order by the kitchen on her way over to where Draco was sitting Sam in one of the booths, and sitting down himself, still looking slightly out of sorts.

"Hey you two, you're a bit early. I thought you were going to hang around the park for a bit before you came for me." She greeted them, leaning down to kiss Sam's cheek, and then running a hand across Draco's shoulders.

"Well...there was a slight change in plans. Can I talk to you?" Draco asked, looking up at her with pleading eyes. Ginny frowned.

"Now?"

"When you've got a moment, soon. Please?"

"Well, right now I just have one customer, we're pretty quiet today. Let me get her fixed up and we can talk out back. We can leave Sam in the kitchen, Joe loves her."

Mrs. Bixby's sandwich appeared in the window as Ginny was going to look for it, and she took the opportunity to bring Sam back to the kitchen. Joseph delighted in telling her all of his secret recipes, and Sam loved to listen. She took Mrs. Bixby's lunch to her.

"There you are, Mrs. Bixby. I'll be out back for a moment or two, if you need anything before I come back, Mae's just over there, and she'll be happy to help you."

"That's just fine dear." Mrs. Bixby said, tucking in to her lunch. Ginny turned back to Draco and indicated that he should follow her. She led him out to the back alley, where he'd found her to ask for that second, most enlightening date. Ginny turned to him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's going on? Did something happen? Is your mother okay?" She asked, a million reasons for him being out of sorts running through her mind.

"Mother's fine." He quickly reassured her. "And, well, it's hard to explain. Nothing actually happened, but..."

"Draco, this keeping me in suspense is not good for your health." She warned him.

"Okay, okay. I went to pick up Sam at daycare, right? She must have told everyone that I was coming in the 'fancy' car to get her, because I swear there were about three dozen noses all pressed to the window when I pulled up."

"That's the way kids are, Draco."

"I know that. Anyway, moving on. I went in to collect her, and she was sitting playing with this other little girl, they were in pretty deep conversation I think. As that Miss Peabody was handing me over her jacket and bag, Sam and this other little girl come running up and she says, 'Mary-Ann, this is my Daddy. Daddy, this is Mary Ann.'"

Ginny's eyes bugged out of her head and her hand shot up to cover her mouth as she sputtered. Draco continued, starting to pace around the alleyway.

"I didn't know what to do, I mean, I guess it's great that she likes me that much, but I'm not sure how comfortable I am with her calling me that yet, and I don't know how you feel about it, but it wasn't like I could correct her, I mean, I couldn't exactly say 'actually, Mary-Ann, I'm not her Daddy, I'm just the guy who's dating her Mummy'. And Miss Peabody was no help, I think she was laughing at me behind those giant glasses of hers."

"What did you do?" Ginny asked, hiding a smile behind her hand.

"I said, 'Hi, Mary-Ann. Nice to meet you.' Then I told Sam that it was time to go. Sam made some kind of face at Mary-Ann, but she came and put her shoes on. What do I do? What do you want me to do?" He asked, looking very much like he wanted to go into a panic, but since he'd probably never panicked before in his life, he wasn't quite sure how. Ginny couldn't quite hide the snicker that escaped her. Here she'd been imagining all these horrible things happening, and he was just freaking out over her daughter calling him 'Daddy'. Another snicker escaped, and this time he heard it and turned to look at her.

"You're laughing. Ginny, you are laughing. Why is this so funny?" He demanded, coming to a stop in front of her again. Ginny stopped trying to hide her amusement and laughed out loud.

"Oh Draco, you've worked yourself into such a state." She stopped laughing, mostly, and played with the lapels of his jacket. "I think I can explain some of this. Sam and this Mary-Ann have been playing a game of one-upmanship ever since they met. Both of Mary-Ann's parents are lawyers, so she has every creature comfort, the way Sam tells it, she was always bringing in new toys to play with, and make everyone jealous of how well off she is. You know how smart Sam is, somewhere along the way, she figured out that Mary-Ann rarely sees her parents, they're both working practically all the time. So she counters Mary-Ann's new toys with the amazing times she has with me, and lately, you. Do you remember our first date, when I was depressed that Sam had been asking about her father?"

"Yes, of course."

"She only asked because Mary-Ann had been bragging about her father going on a business trip, probably mentioning something about a bunch of gifts he was going to bring back for her. Sam had no idea what a Daddy was, and Mary-Ann explained it to her in the way that only five year olds can, and then teased Sam because she didn't have one. It sounds like Sam saw an opportunity to get the last laugh on Mary-Ann, that's all."

"So I've become a pawn for a five-year old. Wonderful." Ginny wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him.

"Oh, admit it, you love it."

"Fine. I admit it. Without Sam's escapades I wouldn't be able to show off the wide variety of human emotions that I've discovered I actually have." He said with a grin.

"Exactly."

"I'm still not sure how I feel about being called 'Daddy'. You and I've only been dating for barely two months."

"Well, if you're that worried, I'll talk to her about it. But I have a feeling that it was just a one time thing." Ginny said, to reassure him. He nodded slightly.

"I don't hate it, by the way. I just think it's a little too soon for it." He told her. It was Ginny's turn to nod.

"It probably is. But, you are the first man in her life that isn't an uncle of sorts, remember. I know that she likes you, and aside from being 'Mr. Draco', she doesn't have a definition to fit you into. And let's face it, you're the closest thing she has to a Daddy right now, or has ever had. So, I'm not really surprised."

"Well, when you put it like that..."

"Why don't I have a talk with her, find out what she's thinking. Then we'll figure out if she keeps calling you 'Daddy' or not, okay?" Ginny suggested.

"You've got a deal... Although..." He trailed off, and Ginny looked up at him quizzically.

"What?"

"Well, we could make my being her Daddy a legal fact, rather than a biological fact, don't you think?"


	26. Chapter 26

Okay, so the writer's block wasn't going away as quickly as I thought it was. This is kind of a filler chapter, since I actually have no idea what I'm going to do next at the moment. I happen to think it's very cute. And for the record, it's been about twenty or so years since I watched the Care Bears, everything I've written about them in this chapter I got from a website. Don't kill me if it's wrong.

Disclaimer: Got nothing.

Chapter 26

"Draco Malfoy, you did not just ask me to marry you in the back alley of a diner." Ginny said, eyebrows raised and lips pursed in a look that would freeze the blood of Voldemort himself. Draco shrugged.

"Maybe." Ginny pushed away from him, and glowered good naturedly.

"You have all the romance of a brick wall." She said. Draco grinned at her.

"Maybe. But that doesn't mean I don't mean it." He said, now giving her his best puppy dog look. She smiled again.

"I'd be perfectly happy to marry you, in time. But I'm not ready yet. We're not ready yet."

"Fair enough. We'll just keep it in mind until we are ready." He said. She smiled and kissed him.

"Ginny! You better get your ass back in here!" Mae's voice shouted out the door. Ginny pulled back from Draco and grinned sheepishly.

"Work beckons. I'm off in about an hour. There's a toy store down the street you can take Sam to, she'll happily spend an hour in there ogling the toys." Ginny told him, leading him back inside.

"Can I buy her something?" He asked, knowing that he was probably going to get a resounding 'no' on the subject. Ginny shook her head and smiled before kissing him again.

"See, this is what I love about you, you always ask before you try and spoil my kid. Alright, for once you can buy her something, but only if she begs, if she says please, and only if she uses the puppy dog look. She knows that she's not going to get everything she might ask for, and sometimes not even when she uses the puppy dog look." She said. "But please, nothing extravagant."

"Agreed."

They rounded the corner and found that the place had somehow filled up in the ten minutes they'd been outside. Ginny sighed and shook her head, heading over to Mrs. Bixby to take her empty plate with her back to the kitchen to retrieve her daughter.

Sam obediently left the kitchen and ran over to Draco by the door. Ginny was already busy with more customers, but she managed to send a smile at them before they left.

"Mummy says we're going to go to the toy store, Mr. Draco, are we?" Sam asked. Draco smiled down at her, he had to admit, he felt a little bit better now that she'd called him 'Mr. Draco' again.

"Yes, Miss Samantha, we're going to go hang out in the toy store until it's time for your Mummy to come home." He said. Sam bounced up and down and grabbed his hand, taking off out the door and leading him directly to the toy store in a matter of minutes. Draco was half expecting to be dragged over to the shelves containing dolls of varying sizes, but instead, Sam made a beeline for the games and puzzles first.

"Look Mr. Draco, they still have it." She said, pointing at a puzzle. It was one of those giant 3-D puzzles, in the shape of a castle. It looked really complicated, but the assembled product was really lifelike. He immediately thought of Hogwarts.

"It's very nice, Miss Samantha." He agreed. She was looking at it longingly. "It's a little big though, don't you think?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"Uncle Harry has big puzzles like this. He lets me help when I come over. They're so much fun." Draco studied the large puzzle. He was trying to decide if it fell under the category of extravagant or not when Sam suddenly tugged on his sleeve.

"Look at this one Mr. Draco! Isn't it cute?" She asked, pulling a much smaller puzzle of something called a Care Bear off the shelf. Care Bears was obviously some kind of Muggle thing that he hadn't come across yet.

"Very cute. What's this on it's belly?" He asked, pointing at the picture.

"It's a rainbow, Mr. Draco, this is Cheer Bear, her rainbow is s'posed to mean hope. She's my favourite, because she's always so happy." She said. Obviously, there was more to this Care Bear thing than he was aware of.

"I see. Well, being happy is a good thing."

"Haven't you ever watched Care Bears, Mr. Draco?" Samantha asked him. He shook his head with a smile.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Samantha. You'll have to tell me all about them." He said. She grinned at him.

"They're on TV on Saturday mornings, you can come watch them with me, and then you'll know all about them." She said, then she grabbed his hand once again and led him over to the stuffed animals, forgetting the puzzles. He watched her rifle through the assorted teddy bears and stuffed dogs and cats for a while, keeping an eye on his watch. After a few moments of contented 'Look at this one, isn't he silly?'s and the occasional 'Mr. Draco, he's so cute!'s he heard her squeal suddenly with what can only be described as absolute delight.

"Look Mr. Draco! It's Cheer Bear! And it's the only one! Can I have it, Mr. Draco, please?" She begged, bouncing up and down in front of him, waving a stuffed version of the puzzle she'd shown him earlier.

"Well, I don't know Miss Samantha. I don't know how your Mummy would like it if I bought you something." He said, lying through his teeth. He had permission, but he had his instructions. He wasn't allowed to buy it for her unless she made the puppy dog eyes.

"Oh please, Mr. Draco? Mummy won't mind. I'll promise to put her away, and I'll sleep with her every night, and I'll love her very much, and she's the only one! Pleeeese, Mr. Draco?" She stopped bouncing in front of him, and hugged the bear to her chest while she looked up at him with the largest eyes he'd ever seen on a child before. If that wasn't a puppy dog look, he didn't know what was. He pretended to mull it over some more.

"Well...only if you promise that your Mummy won't be picking it up after you all the time."

"I promise, I promise!" She squealed.

"Alright then. Let's go pay for it, and then we'll be back at the diner in time to get your Mummy." He said, taking the bear from her.

"Then we're going to see Gramma Malfoy, right Mr. Draco?" She asked, skipping beside him.

"Yes we are, Miss Samantha."

"And I get to wear a pretty dress?"

"That's right."

The little girl's grin couldn't possibly get any larger. The girl at the till rang the bear through quickly, and when Draco handed it to Sam again out in the street, she beckoned him closer. He bent down and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for Cheer Bear Mr. Draco." She said. He smiled at her.

"You're welcome, Miss Samantha. Let's go get your Mummy."

"Okay!"


	27. Chapter 27

At long last, the next chapter. My creativity is returning in slow measures, hopefully I'll have the next chapter finished in a day or two. Thanks for sticking with me!

Disclaimer: Got nothing.

Chapter 27

"Samantha Weasley, you are going to make yourself dizzy if you don't stop that twirling." Ginny scolded lightly, catching Sam in mid spin. The little girl giggled and pulled away from Ginny's arms.

"My skirt goes all spinny, Mummy. I like to watch it. If I go fast enough, I can see my new shoes." She explained with a grin. Ginny grinned back, and pulled her closer so she could do her hair.

"Yes, and such pretty new shoes they are. But I don't want you to make yourself sick before we even get to the restaurant. Now, stand still while I put your hair up." Ginny told her. Sam obeyed, as much as her excitement would allow anyway. She still seemed to vibrate.

"Not the comb Mummy!" Sam yelped and covered her head with her arms when Ginny took a comb out of the rarely used make-up bag. Ginny pursed her lips.

"Now come on, I promise to be gentle. I know you don't like the comb very much, but it will make your hair look nice a pretty. And you want to look pretty for Mr. Draco and Gramma Malfoy, don't you?" Ginny tried to pry one of her arms away from her head as she spoke. Reluctantly, Sam let her do it.

"Can I have pig-tails, Mummy? Like Pippi Long-Stocking?" She asked. Ginny smiled.

"Well, I don't know about Pippi Long-Stocking, but I think we can manage a pair of pig-tails." She told her, tapping her nose with a finger. "Turn around, and let's see here." Ginny started gently combing out her daughter's long red hair, dividing it into two parts as she did so.

"You've got such pretty hair, baby. It's just like mine was when I was little like you. Though, it could do with a trim." Ginny said with a smile. She heard Sam giggle.

"Am I lots like you when you were little, Mummy?" She asked quietly. Ginny grinned again while she stretched a green elastic over the tail that she'd pulled up to one side of Sam's head.

"You, missy, are exactly like me when I was little. I'll bet if you ask Nana nicely, she'll find you some very old pictures of me, you can see for yourself that you look just like me. And she'll tell about all the mischief that your uncles and I got up to when we were small." Sam giggled again, and Ginny continued as she did up the second tail. "But, you can only ask her about it if you promise that you won't be a copycat. There you are, pig-tails."

Sam spun around to face her.

"I promise, Mummy." She said. Ginny laughed and hugged her.

"Am I interrupting?" Draco's voice asked from the doorway. Ginny looked up at him with a smile.

"Nope, we're just about ready to go. I've just finished the munchkin's hair, now I just have to do mine." She said, standing up and peering into the mirror. She winced.

"Eeg. There's something to be said for conditioning charms. I'll just be a minute here with this rat's nest. Why don't you two go wait in the living room?" She suggested. Sam skipped over to Draco and grabbed his hand.

"Mummy has to make herself look pretty, come on Mr. Draco. You can tell me how pretty I am until she's done."

Ginny bit her lip, but couldn't contain the laugh that the comment brought on, so the end result was a rather unladylike snort. Draco sent her an amused look.

"She's definitely just like you." He managed to say before he was dragged down the hall. She stuck her tongue out at him as he disappeared and then turned back to the mirror. She pulled her hair out of it's half-hearted bun and worked her fingers through it briefly. Then she gave up and cast a couple of charms on it.

"I'll worry more about it later, when we're not going to be late for a fancy dinner with my boyfriend's mother." She muttered. She blinked. She had just called Draco Malfoy her boyfriend, out loud. Nobody had been present to hear it, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that she hadn't had to think about it before she said it. Hadn't had to consider what it meant to her.

Draco stuck his head into her doorway.

"Ginny, are you ready? Samantha's turning into a whirling dirvish out here, and Mother will have arrived at the restaurant by now." He asked her. Ginny grabbed her purse and strode over to him, planting a kiss on him.

"What was that for?" He asked. She shrugged.

"Aren't I allowed to kiss my boyfriend?" She asked, smiling at him innocently. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I suppose so. You admit that I'm your boyfriend then." Her smile morphed into a grin.

"Absolutely. Come on, I really don't want Sam making herself dizzy." She said, walking past him and into the living room.

"Samantha Weasley, I told you to stop that. Let's go, I'm starving."


	28. Chapter 28

So, so much for getting this out a day after the last one. Apparently my muse has decided that I am to suffer eternally from writers block. I am considering taking out a classified ad for a new one 'Desperate author seeks inspiration for years old HP fic...' I am still determined to finish this before I die. I'm thinking I'm going to have to start winding it down or it's going to kill me. We'll see how it goes.

Disclaimer: Got nothing.

Chapter 28

The restaurant was expensive, Ginny could tell that just from looking at the fountain out front. She was also fairly positive that it wasn't even in England, but not having seen how Draco had gotten them there, besides stepping into his car and driving for ten minutes, she had no idea what country it was in. She certainly didn't recognize it. Valets had helped both herself and Samantha from the car, causing the girl to giggle once more. An attendant took the keys from Draco and drove the car away. Ever the proper gentleman, Draco offered her his arm, and held Sam by the hand to lead them into the swanky restaurant.

"Ah, Monsieur Malfoy, c'est magnifique a vous voir encore ici. Et, les belles filles, elles sont votre famille?" The host greeted them in French. Ginny pasted a smile on her face and wished that she'd taken a languages class at Hogwarts when she'd had the chance. Of course, Draco responded to the man easily.

"Bonsoir Benoît, il est très bon d'etre ici encore. Ceci, c'est ma belle-fille Ginny Weasley, et sa fille Samantha. Ginny, Samantha this is Benoît, he's been the host at Château de Chien Noir for the last fifteen years. Our family knows him quite well." Ginny smiled and shook the man's hand, blushing slightly when he kissed the back of it lightly. He did the same with Samantha's hand, and the little girl giggled, again. She seemed to be in permanent giggle mode tonight.

"Est-ce que ma mère est arrivée?" Draco asked. Benoît nodded his head and spread an arm to invite them into the restaurant.

"Bien sûr monsieur, s'il vous plait, suivez-moi." He led the way into the restaurant after Draco had translated the direction to Ginny. He led them over to a quiet corner of the restaurant, practically a private dining area, where Ginny could see Narcissa already seated at the table, sipping contentedly at a glass of wine, the bottle sitting chilled next to the table.

"Bonsoir madame, ton fils et les belles filles sont arrivés." Benoît said to her as he gallantly pulled out a chair for Samantha to sit on, while Draco pulled one out for Ginny. Narcissa gave them all a huge smile on their arrival, something that threw Ginny a little, she had never seen the woman smile like that before. She wondered to herself how much of the wine the woman had already indulged in.

"Good evening, Mother. I hope you haven't been waiting long." Draco asked her.

"No, I only arrived about ten minutes ago. The waiters have been keeping me entertained. These young Frenchmen are so adorably wicked, you know." She said, with a wink at Ginny. Ginny tried valiantly to keep from laughing, but a wide grin spread across her face nonetheless. Draco coughed uncomfortably.

"Right. Well, I see you've ordered some wine, why don't I top you up while I pour some for Ginny and I?"

"Absolutely, darling. Have you ever eaten in a French restaurant Ginny?" Narcissa asked her. Ginny blinked slowly, trying to figure out if the woman was being serious, or trying to rub her the wrong way. She shook her head just as slowly.

"No, Narcissa, I can't say that I have. You'll have to recommend some dishes for me."

"Of course, of course. We've been coming here years, I can say with a degree of certainty that we know what to order. I would suggest staying away from the escargot your first time however." Narcissa said. Ginny did know what those were, and she was perfectly content to leave them to other people. She smiled a thank you at Draco when he set a glass of wine in front of her and she opened up her menu. She supposed she should have expected it, but somehow her head was still thinking 'England', and wasn't until she had been staring at the menu for a full minute that she realized it was written completely in French.

Sensing her sudden frustration, Draco folded a hand over her menu and when she looked at him, he winked at her.

"I've got it covered."

The waiter returned moments later, and both Draco and Narcissa fired off a rapid succession of French that Ginny did not comprehend, but trusted that they weren't ordering her something horrid. Sam was mesmerized by the chandelier positioned directly above their table, she appeared to be counting the crystals that constructed it.

"A toast, I think." Narcissa suddenly said, holding up her glass of wine, Draco following suit a split second later. Ginny blinked again, but grabbed up her glass and held it up to Narcissa's and Draco's.

"A toast. To new beginnings." Draco said. Narcissa nodded, but then before they could clink their glasses, she added to it.

"And to a full five years of being free of Lucius Malfoy's influence. May the bastard burn for all eternity."


	29. Chapter 29

Okay, so I am actually on a roll here. This is a very good sign.

Note 1: Someone asked for a translation of the French in the last chapter. Admittedly, my French is a tad rusty, but basically translated the conversation goes like this;

_"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, it's magnificent to see you here again. And, these lovely ladies are your family?" _

_"Good evening Benoit, it's nice to be here again. This is my girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, and her daughter Samantha."_

_"Has my mother arrived?"_

_"Yes, sir. Please, follow me." _

Note 2: I have not read Deathly Hallows. I am not in possession of spoilers and I do not wish to be. I think though, after Half Blood Prince, we can safely say that this has become AU.

Disclaimer: Got nothing.

Chapter 29

"Your mother certainly has a flair for the dramatic." Ginny told Draco as she stripped out of her dress and found the hanger it came from. She looked at him over her shoulder, but he missed the smile she was sending him because he was staring fixedly at a point on the opposite wall.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that."

"Do you do this every year? Go out and celebrate your father's death at a five star French restaurant?" She fished around her closet for the nightgown she knew she had thrown in there that morning and, finding it, tugged it over her head.

"Well...not at a five star restaurant, we do something different each year, something that my father would have forbidden. The Chateau was special this year because Mother wanted you and Sam to be there."

She froze in the midst of picking up her hairbrush from her vanity and stared at him.

"Why would your mother want Sam and I to be there to celebrate your father's death?"

It seemed to her that he was taking longer than necessary to answer the question. She couldn't see all of his face, but she could see a his jaw clench ever so slightly, something she had only seen him do when he was stressed. She crawled across her bed and laid a hand on his shoulder lightly.

"Draco?" She asked, and he finally turned to look at her.

"She wanted you there because she doesn't know that you don't know all of what happened during the war." He said. Ginny frowned at him, not understanding.

"How much do you know about the final battle, Ginny?" He asked her, the tone of his voice was sombre, causing her memory to trip back five years, hearing the screams of the cursed and wounded in her ears and the desire to ease their pain if only for a moment washing through her.

"I know that it was the worst of them all. We were still treating the wounded months later, when the relief efforts began. Besides knowing that we won, and that Harry killed Voldemort, I don't know any of the particulars." He reached for her hand and began to play with her fingers.

"We were camped out in the marshes, for weeks it felt like, though I suppose it was only a couple of days. We were tired, so tired. We'd chosen the marshes because they were last place any sensible army would make camp, and there was a damn good reason for it. Without proper incantations, you could die of a bacterial infection in your sleep."

A haunted look passed through his eyes, and she wondered how many people he had seen die like that, people that she'd never even known of. Being stuck in the castle had been no picnic, but it was luxury compared to the places that the Army had been forced to hide in.

"Eventually, Voldemort figured out where we were. The Death Eaters laid seige to the area, it didn't take us long to realize that if we didn't end it soon, we were all going to die there. We didn't win the war because of some elaborately thought out plan, we won because of a desperate bid to save ourselves from the indignity of dying in a swamp."

"Desperation is a good, if dangerous ally to have. There's only a small window of time before an act of desperation leads to unpleasant consequences." Ginny mused, more to herself than anything, but Draco agreed with her.

"That's what Granger said. I agreed with her. Voldemort was expecting to wait us out, thinking we would try to avoid needless deaths by attempting to wait out his seige, but we would eventually come crawling out, too weak to oppose him. Potter suggested an all out attack. It had...I believe his exact words were 'the element of surprise'. Nobody argued with him." He was staring off into the distance, and Ginny could tell that he wasn't seeing her bedroom wall anymore, he was back in that marsh.

_"Voldemort wants us to wither away in here. If we're going to die, I'd rather do it fighting." Neville Longbottom of all people spoke up after the long silence after Harry's suggestion. _

_"It's not going to be as easy as just leaping out of the bushes and catching them unawares. Even if we're using as you put it, Potter, 'the element of surprise' I think we need something of a plan." Draco pointed out, to many murmurs of agreement. _

_"We haven't been able to get close enough to Voldemort to cause him any harm, the Death Eaters are too strong a defense. If we're going to end this, we need to neutralize them. Or distract them enough to be able to take them out of the equation so Harry can get close to Voldemort." Hermione said. _

_"I think I have an idea." Draco said, his mind working through all of the pros and cons of his plan in seconds. The odds were bad, but not impossible. Harry glanced at him, frowning._

_"What is it?" He asked, but Draco shook his head._

_"I can't tell you, one of them could pull it from any one of your heads easily. That's what the problem is, you see. They know what you're doing before you even do it. If you want to win this, you'll have to trust me." He said. For only the briefest of moments, doubt flickered across the other man's face, but then Hermione laid a hand on his arm, and nodded at Draco._

_"We trust you, Malfoy. What do you want us to do?" He looked around at them then, their ragtag little army. He could see the exhaustion on their faces, behind the layers of grime that not one of them could avoid in the marshes. But there was determination in their eyes, and more than a little bit of hope. He was sure that the same sentiments were in his own. One way or another, the War ended here._

"It was your plan? Your plan that won the War?"

"If you call losing a good third of an already dwindling Army winning, then yes. But we had all agreed, it didn't matter how many died, after that day, there wasn't going to be any more." He was looking at her again, and even though he was brushing his fingertips along her jawline, she wasn't sure he was actually seeing her.

"I wasn't lying you know, that bat bogey hex did start all of this off." He waved around absently, she knew what 'this' meant. "I watched you a lot after that. I'd always thought you were the quiet sort, but that hex showed me that there was more to you than there was to see. And after a while, I guess I realized that if you could change, then so could I. I just had to find out what it was that I really wanted. That was when the War started, and I didn't want to be on my father's side anymore. I was never more glad of that decision than I was after I found out what he'd helped do to you."

"You mean the diary." She said, supressing the shiver that crept up her spine at the memory. She'd come out of that ordeal stronger than she was before, but it still terrified her to think of how close to death she had come.

"I always knew he was a cruel man. But I had thought that he drew the line somewhere. He had never raised a hand to Mother, to my knowledge. If he did, she does not speak of it. I never would have thought he would put a child in such danger, no matter what he thought about her family. I think if I'd known about that sooner, it wouldn't have taken me so long to realize how wrong he was."

"People are rarely who we expect them to be. The greatest disappointments in life are realizing that the people you put up on a pedestal are just as human as you are. They make just as many mistakes, just as many errors in judgement, it's their willingness to atone for those errors that decides whether they really deserve that pedestal."

"He never atoned for anything. He didn't deserve anything. And I knew that if he survived the War, I could never be free of him. And neither could you."

Ginny twisted to look at him, stunned.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

He wasn't looking at her anymore, the shadows playing out in his eyes told her that he'd gone back to that battle again. She wondered how often he went back there. He'd scolded her once about her attitude toward the past, but she wasn't so sure that his own was any better.

Note 3: So, that was a heavier chapter. And there's still more to come, he's not quite finished explaining the veiled mystery that everyone's been tantalizing Ginny with. I hope this is making sense to you all. In my head it sounds fine, but I could be wrong. With luck I'll be able to finish this rather sooner than later.


End file.
